All posts by h716a5.icu

Dean Henderson, Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford were all disappointing in Manchester United’s shock FA Cup fourth round defeat at home to Middlesbrough.

The Red Devils were expected to breeze past their Championship opponents on Friday evening, but another damaging outing unfolded at Old Trafford.

Jadon Sancho’s goal looked set to send United on their way to victory but a controversial Matt Crooks equaliser took the game to extra-time and the visitors prevailed in a long penalty shootout.

There were three United players who stood out as the worst performers, of those to have played at least 45 minutes of action, and using statistical experts Sofascore we have looked at the men who may be fearing for their place under Ralf Rangnick.

Dean Henderson – 6.8/10

Henderson started between the sticks instead of David De Gea but he did his chances of keeping the Spaniard out permanently very few favours.

While the England international had little to do in the 120 minutes of normal time, five of his 12 long balls were still inaccurate and he played no key passes.

In the shootout, Henderson failed to get close to the penalties, barring one that squirmed under him in sloppy fashion.

Luke Shaw – 7.4/10

Shaw has dipped well below last season’s high standards in 2021/22 and this was another disappointing night at the office for him.

The left-back lost possession a whopping 34 times in total, also losing six out of 14 of his ground duels.

Not only that, but Shaw also only managed to complete four out of nine crosses and long balls apiece, highlighting a sloppy outing from him.

Marcus Rashford – 6.3/10

It was Rashford who took home the lowest rating at Old Trafford, however, as his hugely below-par form continues.

The Englishman lost the ball on 11 occasions overall, missed one big chance and won only two out of eight ground duels, meaning he and Shaw combined to lose 55% of their individual battles on the ball.

Rashford also won no aerial duels and failed to make any defensive contribution, highlighting his lack of effective pressing from the front.

In other news, a journalist has ruled out one player joining United. Find out who it is here.

It might be premature to describe Yorkshire’s Championship challenge as faltering but their position at the top of the table going into this match disguises a run of results that rather undermines their case

Jon Culley at Headingley03-Aug-2010
ScorecardRyan Sidebottom impressed as Nottinghamshire took control on the top-of-the-table clash•PA PhotosIt might be premature to describe Yorkshire’s Championship challenge as faltering but their position at the top of the table going into this match disguises a run of results that rather undermines their case. A record of one win in six matches since May leaves them in need of renewed impetus.They may struggle to draw it from this contest after their poorest day so far, one which began with Adam Lyth out for a duck and ended with Samit Patel and David Hussey shaping up to put Nottinghamshire in control. Yorkshire’s lead at the start of this round is one point. Given Nottinghamshire’s game in hand, if this is not a must-win fixture, it is certainly one they would prefer not to lose.The morning belonged squarely to Nottinghamshire as Yorkshire stumbled to lunch at 89 for 5, prompting inevitable questions about Andrew Gale’s wisdom in deciding to bat first in overcast, humid conditions, particularly after swing had been such a factor in the Test match between Australia and Pakistan here.But the pitches here have generally played well this season. In each of four previous Championship matches in 2010, the captain winning the toss has opted to bat and the average first-innings score was 431, with Yorkshire winning both matches in which they batted first. To Gale, therefore, it was probably a straightforward decision. Ryan Sidebottom confirmed afterwards that Nottinghamshire would have batted, too, given the choice.Indeed, this pitch – blanched and dry – looks like one that will take spin and there is no one in better form to exploit that factor than leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who came into this match with 28 wickets in his last four four-day games. Gale has also turned to David Wainwright, the left-arm spinner, for his first Championship appearance since May.With a decent Yorkshire total to give them room to manoeuvre, Gale will have reasoned, those two bowlers in tandem could pose real problems for Nottinghamshire. All out for 178 – their lowest total for two years – was certainly not part of any plan.The ball ruled from the moment Lyth, the First Division’s leading run-scorer, edged the fifth ball of the day from Sidebottom into the gloves of skipper Chris Read behind the stumps. Under the watchful gaze of Geoff Miller, England’s chief selector, it was not a good moment for the Yorkshire left-hander to cop his third duck of the season.Sidebottom is back in the Nottinghamshire line-up after a knee injury sustained – in the modern cricket tradition – playing football, replacing Charlie Shreck from the side beaten heavily by in-form Somerset at Taunton last week. It was a second defeat in three matches for Read’s team, whose thrashing of relegation favourites Warwickshire in between came on the back of career-best figures of 8 for 52 by Stuart Broad, who will not figure again this season.Yet Nottinghamshire’s bowling resources are as deep as anyone’s, even if their batting can be suspect, and the attack on duty here subjected Yorkshire to their poorest opening day of the season.It didn’t help, though, that their second wicket was needlessly squandered when a misunderstanding between Anthony McGrath and Jacques Rudolph led the latter to be run out for one in the sixth over, Ali Brown doing the fielding after McGrath shaped to take a single to cover off Darren Pattinson but thought better of it with his colleague halfway down the pitch.Gale looked in good shape, helping himself to a couple of nicely-timed boundaries off Pattinson and a couple more off Sidebottom but when Paul Franks came on first change for Pattinson he struck with his second ball, one that umpire Rob Bailey judged would have hit the stumps as the Yorkshire captain went forward and across.Again Yorkshire looked capable of repairing the damage. Andre Adams conceded three boundaries in four balls to McGrath after replacing Sidebottom at the football stand end and was hit for two more by Jonathan Bairstow. But then McGrath nibbled at one from Adams to be caught behind and when Gerard Brophy was bowled by the same bowler, with a fine delivery that came back sharply, Yorkshire were in serious trouble at 89 for 5.That became 104 for 6 when Rashid was out leg before, beyond much argument, in the fourth over of the afternoon. Bairstow, who is becoming a dangerous opponent in the middle order, again went for his shots with confidence, hitting nine fours to reach 45, including three in consecutive balls off Pattinson. But he was undone by a beautiful ball from Sidebottom that bowled him after swinging late – “the kind you bowl once a season,” Sidebottom said – after which Ajmal Shahzad paid the price for stretching for one outside off stump from Pattinson and Yorkshire were 144 for 8.Wainwright proved his value with the bat by adding 20 runs to that, although with his fellow left-arm spinner, Patel, trapping both Steve Patterson and Oliver Hannon-Dalby leg before, the Yorkshire total grew by only 34.As if to even the score after Rudolph’s give-away, Nottinghamshire handed Yorkshire an early gift when Alex Hales, chasing a ball that might have been called wide, edged Steve Patterson obligingly to keeper BrophyMark Wagh was bowled by a peach from Hannon-Dalby, a late inswinger to which the batsman played back, but Matthew Wood gave his side something to build on with his second fifty in consecutive games before Patterson had him leg before.Wood, who has form in one-day cricket, has been given another chance in the four-day side as Nottinghamshire continue to seek elusive consistency in their batting. The openers are not the only problem area, however. Patel’s hundred in defeat against Somerset was his first in the Championship since September 2008 but he and Hussey had put on 50 together at stumps, with Nottinghamshire 31 behind and seven wickets in hand.

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have been left pleading for the signing of Fulham forward Fabio Carvalho after an update from reliable in-the-know insider ExWHUemployee.

Hammers boss David Moyes is thought to be keen on the 19-year-old Championship starlet alongside a host of other Premier League clubs, with Southampton, Tottenham and Liverpool also said to be watching on (TEAMtalk).

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Fulham hold fears that he has already agreed to move away from Craven Cottage, with the talented teenager still yet to pen a contract extension in west London (TEAMtalk).

As things stand, the winger can leave as a free agent in the summer, and Ex believes that West Ham could well be in contention.

According to the insider, via his West Ham Way website, Carvalho is personally seen by Moyes as an alternative to long-time target Jesse Lingard, whose apparent recent comments about his future caused some consternation among the east London fan base.

While a move is more likely in the summer when the 19-year-old is a free agent, ExWHUemployee refuses to rule out the possibility of a late January swoop, believing that the story ‘could change’.

West Ham fans plead for Carvalho…

Taking to Twitter, many West Ham fans have pleaded with the club to sign the talented teenager after this insider claim, and it’s not hard to see why.

Dubbed a ‘very exciting’ player by one-time Premier League Golden Boot winner Kevin Phillips, Carvalho’s eight goals and two assists in 17 Championship appearances for Fulham highlight his sky-high potential. For a cheaper fee or on a Bosman in the summer, this potential move is certainly enough to excite the Irons faithful.

Check out some of the best reactions from West Ham fans to this news below:

“Would definitely favour a move for Carvalho”

Credit: @whufcopinions

“Thinking he’s gonna be free and available in the summer 🥱🥱 get Carvalho in now. Kid’s a baller”

Credit: @JoshHarris44

“PLEASE”

Credit: @mako_zzv

“This should be one of our main targets this window alongside a CB and ST”

Credit: @NathWHU

“This over Lingard would be a better deal”

Credit: @j1mrphy

“Absolute baller so I’d be buzzing if we signed him but probably don’t need him unless we can get rid of Yarmo”

Credit: @oliverrrwhu

In other news: ExWHUemployee also says West Ham are set for talks as they chase agreement for ‘quality’ 25 y/o, find out more here.

Writing on Twitter, relaying his piece for football.london, reliable reporter Alasdair Gold has shared the latest transfer news out of Tottenham in a promising update.

The Lowdown: Spurs set for busy window?

As per many English sources, Tottenham boss Antonio Conte and transfer chief Fabio Paratici don’t plan on dwindling in the winter January window.

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Indeed, London World reporter Rahman Osman claims that the Italian boss is ‘working on some deals’ behind the scenes as he wants to ‘bridge the gap’ between Spurs and top Premier League sides as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Sky journalist Lyall Thomas says that the Lilywhites will ‘almost certainly’ do business this month as Gold now shares the latest on what Conte and Paratici’s plans are.

The Latest: Gold shares priorities for Conte and Paratici…

According to the reliable source, Conte has ‘four priority positions’, with his piece detailing they are the signings of a right-wing-back, left-sided central defender, centre-midfield player and forward.

Taking to Twitter, he shared his article for football.london, whilst also stating:

“A piece on the four priority positions I understand Antonio Conte wants strengthening within his squad. Obviously other unexpected opportunities can arise with players coming on the market or leaving Spurs, but Paratici will try to start the rebuild now.”

The Verdict: Promising claim…

It’s safe to say Tottenham’s ‘rebuild’ has been long overdue, with former boss Mauricio Pochettino claiming they were in need of a ‘painful’ one near the end of this tenure.

As such, this latest Gold update comes as a promising one with Conte and Paratici now eyeing key additions in a plethora of important Spurs positions.

Who they manage to sign in a difficult winter window remains to be seen, but this January looks set to be Tottenham’s most eventful in recent memory.

In other news: Tottenham ‘working strongly’ for ‘phenomenal signing’ as reporter drops Twitter claim, find out more here.

Leeds United are still ‘pressing’ to seal the signing of Torino right-back Ola Aina in the January transfer window, according to a fresh transfer rumour.

The Lowdown: Aina linked with Leeds move

It has been a quiet start to the month at Elland Road but it would be a surprise if no new faces arrived in the coming weeks, given the horrendous injury crisis Marcelo Bielsa is currently contending with.

One player who has been linked with a move to Leeds is Aina, who has made 13 Serie A appearances for Torino this season, continuing to impress after graduating from Chelsea’s youth academy.

Despite this, the Italian club don’t appear to be against the idea of letting the 25-year-old leave this month, no doubt giving the Whites hope that a deal can be struck.

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The Latest: Whites still ‘pressing’

According to Corriere Granata [via Sport Witness], Leeds are still hoping to get a deal sorted imminently and the two clubs will ‘continue to negotiate’.

It is stated that there is ‘no agreement’ in place yet for the former Chelsea man, though.

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The Verdict: Good news

Given the number of stories emerging, it does look as though Leeds see Aina as a genuine option and he could be a shrewd signing for Bielsa.

At 25, he is five years younger than Luke Ayling and could represent a long-term replacement for him, having made an impressive six tackles and four clearances for Nigeria in their Africa Cup of Nations opener against Egypt earlier this week, earning him Whoscored’s Man of the Match award.

On the contrary, Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah was completely shut down by Aina and his Super Eagles teammates, as he mustered the second-lowest rating of the 22 starters while the Serie A man thrived.

Aina’s current Torino deal expires in the summer of 2o23, highlighting the fact that they are running out of time to receive a fee for him, which arguably makes a move even more likely.

In other news, a journalist has claimed that Leeds won’t be signing one player. Find out who it is here.

Leeds United ambassador Noel Whelan has bemoaned the hamstring injuries picked up by Liam Cooper and Kalvin Phillips, describing it as ‘really bad news’ for the club.

The Lowdown: Leeds pair out injured

The Whites have been plagued by injuries throughout the season, which has no doubt played a part in what has been a disappointing campaign to date.

Cooper and Phillips are two of the most high-profile current absentees and, as revealed by Marcelo Bielsa on Friday, the duo are not expected to be back in action until March, which comes as a huge blow to Leeds.

While relegation should still be avoided, not having those two key figures available could make life difficult, and results must start improving in the coming weeks if they are to avoid an uncomfortable run-in to the campaign.

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The Latest: Whelan reacts to news

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan couldn’t hide his frustration at the news that Cooper and Phillips face another couple of months on the sidelines. He rued:

“The injuries looked so innocuous. Usually with a hamstring if you’re not jumping in the air and hitting the clouds, it could just be a tiny tear which could take as little as four weeks.

“But this is really bad news for Leeds United because they are two big players. Phillips, who is one of the best defensive midfield players in the Premier League and is vitally important to how we play. He’s irreplaceable in there.

“And then Cooper is the club captain, and that presence will be missed sorely in the dressing room. You can’t take away the importance of what he gives you in there. It’s like Jordan Henderson at Liverpool – you miss those types of voices.”

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The Verdict: Big battle without them

This is a massive couple of months for Leeds, with fringe players simply having to step up to the plate without Cooper and Phillips around. The former has been the Whites’ second-best performer this term as per WhoScored, while the latter boasts one of the highest tackling averages (2.3 per game) within the squad.

Phillips is going to be a particular miss, considering the sparsity of midfield alternatives and the fact that he is England’s reigning Player of the Year, highlighting how talented player he has become.

A new midfielder may well be needed to be brought in this month to help fill the void, whereas fit-again Diego Llorente and Robin Koch will hopefully forge a strong centre-back pairing without club captain Cooper around. For now, it’s easy to see why Whelan is so worried.

In other news, one Leeds player is set to leave the club this summer. Find out who it is here.

Newcastle United reportedly want to sign Lucas Digne in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: On his way out?

Last month, it was reported that the Everton defender had a row with Rafael Benitez over how he was being used tactically, and he has since missed their last three games in the Premier League.

As such, he has been linked with a move away from Goodison Park, and the recent announcement of the signing of left-back Vitaliy Mykolenko has only enhanced those rumours. Therefore, January may be the perfect opportunity for the Magpies to pounce.

The Latest: Digne wanted

As per ESPN, Newcastle want to sign Digne, but Chelsea, Inter Milan and Napoli are also interested in his signature.

Everton want a fee of at least £25m to let him go, which would ‘not deter’ the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium, but talks are expected to take place with Chelsea.

The Verdict: Sign

If an opportunity presents itself to lure Digne away from Goodison Park, the Magpies simply have to take it.

Described as an ‘exceptional’ player by Noel Whelan, the France international would surely be a starter at St James’ Park, as he averaged more tackles, interceptions, clearances, shots, dribbles and passes than Jamal Lewis and Matt Ritchie in the top flight so far this season (WhoScored).

Despite not setting up a goal in 2021/22, Digne is also known for grabbing plenty of wand of a left foot’. He would certainly seem to be a smart signing for the Toon.

In other news, NUFC have sent an offer for this La Liga maestro

Chris Gayle, hurting after the last-over defeat in the first ODI, delivered a gritty all-round performance with support from Narsingh Deonarine to help steer the hosts to a series-levelling win

The Bulletin by Siddhartha Talya06-Mar-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Chris Gayle’s 88 ensured West Indies secured their first win in an international since August last year•DigicelCricket.com/Brooks LaTouche PhotographyChris Gayle, hurting after the last-over defeat in the first ODI, delivered a gritty all-round performance with support from Narsingh Deonarine to help steer West Indies to a series-levelling win – their first victory in an international fixture since August last year. The pair got together when Zimbabwe’s spinners had, yet again, put in an inspired effort to cripple the hosts in their chase of 207. But Gayle restrained himself amid the quick wickets that followed a fiery start, and opened up in timely fashion with Deonarine once Zimbabwe appeared to step off the pedal, to set the stage for a hard-fought victory. The batting backed up a disciplined effort from West Indies’ bowlers, led by Nikita Miller’s career-best haul.A worry for Gayle will be the performance of the middle order, which he had singled out for criticism in the aftermath of the two-run upset on Thursday. When Gayle fell, bowled by Graeme Cremer in the 42nd over, West Indies still needed 39. Though Deonarine made amends for his self-inflicted run-out in the first ODI with a determined half-century, Kieron Pollard again proved irresponsible, holing out to long-on when West Indies appeared to have the match covered. Darren Sammy, one of the two replacements for the axed Denesh Ramdin and Dwayne Smith, too, struggled to hold his nerve – he almost skied one to fine leg – but survived through to the end.West Indies’ weakness against spin continued to be exposed as clever variations from Ray Price, who didn’t extract turn from the newish ball but altered his pace, fetched him two early wickets in a miserly spell. Adrian Barath failed to spot an arm ball and was trapped lbw, though replays indicated the ball struck him outside the line, and David Bernard, the other new inclusion, was stumped down the leg side. The wickets had an immediate effect on Gayle’s approach – he had targeted the offspin of Prosper Utseya, whom he had struck for two sixes – as the focus shifted from an attempt to pierce the field to seeing off a probing spell from the spinners.The plummeting scoring-rate – the second Powerplay yielded just seven runs – showed no signs of revival as Shivnarine Chanderpaul ground to ten runs before being trapped in front by Greg Lamb, followed by Andre Fletcher, who notched up his third duck in four games, bowled off a googly by Cremer. The spinners found plenty of turn with the old ball, beating the left-hand batsmen consistently, but Gayle and Deonarine waited patiently – foregoing any attempt at a boundary for 70 deliveries – before stepping up.While nudging the ball around the in-field, gradually increasing the flow of singles and playing guardedly on a sluggish pitch were the dominant features of their partnership, the cue to accelerate came when the asking-rate had gone past six-an-over. Deonarine initiated the surge, charging down to Cremer in the 38th over and launching him for a six over long-on and slog-sweeping him two balls later for a boundary. The reintroduction of medium-pacer Chris Mpofu into the attack in the next over proved decisive, for Gayle and Deonarine picked him out for treatment, taking 23 off the 39th and the 41st overs, including three boundaries.Zimbabwe will rue their lapses in the field, and the fact that they conceded 16 wides. They could have had Gayle twice off Cremer, but Tatenda Taibu missed two leg-side stumpings just after the West Indies captain had passed fifty. Cremer, however, did finally get Gayle, but only after the advantage had been ceded. Deonarine continued to find the boundary, pulling Brendan Taylor and then lofting Price over mid-off, and played a chanceless innings while retaining his calm to the finish.Zimbabwe, by opting to bat, had adopted a similar strategy as in the first ODI, aiming to put enough on the board to give their four-pronged spin attack a chance to test West Indies. But Kemar Roach helped dismiss the Zimbabwe openers early, running out Visu Sibanda and having Hamilton Masakadza caught at third man. Gayle bowled an excellent spell, conceding just 25 in ten overs, and triggered a middle-order wobble with the wicket of Taylor, which broke an enterprising 59-run stand with Taibu. Three wickets fell in a space of five overs – Miller removed both Stuart Matsikenyeri and Taibu – to undo a hard-laid platform.After the spinners ate into the middle order, Lamb and Elton Chigumbura steadied the innings. Chigumbura, who had initially curbed his attacking instinct, opened up in the 43rd over, lofting Sulieman Benn over mid-off and sweeping him past square leg for successive boundaries. Lamb, though, had struggled for his 23 and succumbed to frustration when he skied Miller to square leg. When Chigumbura, trying to pierce the in-field during the batting Powerplay, fell to Roach the next over, Zimbabwe’s hopes of a late onslaught faded, leaving their spinners with a stiffer task than the first game.

Cricinfo presents the Plays of the day from the match between Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore

Jamie Alter at the Feroz Shah Kotla04-Apr-2010On the dime
Confidence is coursing through Anil Kumble’s veins at present. Today, after losing the toss on a flat track, he decided to open the bowling against two devastating batsmen. David Warner was away first ball with a tucked single to square, bringing Virender Sehwag – short of a few runs – on strike. Kumble began with a flipper on the pads which Sehwag failed to connect with. Sehwag missed the second ball while attempting a feisty drive. The third had some flight on it and he drove straight to a fielder. The fifth too was unable to pierce the strong off-side field and the sixth yielded just a single toward deep cover. That was a top over from a veteran slow bowler against two men who feast on spin.Six and out
No reference to the band that Brett Lee used to be part of. Abhimanyu Mithun’s career has progressed rapidly over the past season, with a superb debut Ranji Trophy season leading to an ODI cap. He hadn’t been a part of his home city’s IPL side until this evening, and the young quick made an immediate impact. Not with his first ball, however, which Sehwag carved over six, but with his second. Mithun pulled back the length and got the short ball to follow Sehwag, who for the umpteenth time in his career ended up chopping it onto his stumps. Mithun let out a roar that matched what the Kotla faithful had been bellowing during Sehwag’s all too brief cameo.Throwdown
Royal Challengers Bangalore’s second draft for this match also made his presence felt early in the piece, contributing to send back the other dangerous local Delhi batsman. Warner got cramped by a Jacques Kallis delivery and bunted it to toward cover, where KP Appanna – another hometown boy – ran in and took out the stumps with a direct hit to run-out Gautam Gambhir.One for the classic catches series
Dinesh Karthik’s eyes would have lit up when he saw a wide and short ball from Appanna. He wouldn’t have known, though, that when he smashed that one towards cover, Cameron White would fling himself to his left, get to the ball with both hands, and bring off a stunning catch very low to the ground.A experiment gone awry
Unfortunately for Bangalore, White was nowhere as sharp when he was given the ball right after that catch. There’s a reason why White hasn’t bowled himself much during Victoria’s domestic season. Ricky Ponting also hasn’t turned to him when he’s played limited-overs for Australia of late, and even White seemed a bit surprised that Kumble had picked him to deliver the 12th over. His third ball was so wide outside off that Steve Harmison would have laughed, and when White sent down some embarrassing half-trackers Paul Collingwood thumped two sixes and a four to round off a potentially game-changing 19-run over. That’s one experiment we won’t be seeing any more of.What a letdown
White got a chance to redeem himself when he was promoted to open with Kallis, but he barely managed to get into first gear. After facing eight deliveries for just four singles, and swiping and swishing plenty, White finally connected to one. Up over cover it went, and settled into the specialist long-off Warner’s hands.Slow coach
One can understand that Kallis, the leading run scorer this season, had been instructed to bat out the innings but what was Kevin Pietersen doing? He could not time the ball off the square and indulged in singles against some disciplined bowling from Delhi’s medium-pacer pair of Rajat Bhatia and Pradeep Sangwan. After scratching his way to 16 off 18 balls, Pietersen was put out of his misery on the 19th – a lovely yorker from Sangwan that crashed into the stumps.Men at work
Time was when a running catch on the edge of the cricket field used to get the adrenalin pumping. But in this time of Twenty20, it’s not just cool to take a catch on the run. You have to give it your damndest. What R Sathish, Angelo Mathews and Adam Voges did in the ICL and international Twenty20s over the past two seasons has become all the rage in the IPL. David Hussey and Doug Bollinger pulled off incredible leaping, relaying and parried catches this week and today Warner tried and just failed to become the third Aussie to add one to the collection. He leapt back to try and catch a big hit from Kallis, lost balance, lobbed the ball up, balanced himself and took the catch but immediately signaled that he was not sure whether his back foot had made contact with the rope. Replays showed that it indeed had, and Warner shrugged his shoulder. But it truly is a sign of the times when such efforts are being made with regularity.

Andrew Symonds feels more comfortable with the security situation in India than he did whenever he toured South Africa and the recent terrorist threats against the IPL have not changed his travel plans

Peter English18-Feb-2010Andrew Symonds feels more comfortable with the security situation in India than he did whenever he toured South Africa and the recent terrorist threats against the IPL have not changed his travel plans. Symonds, who was part of Deccan Charger’s Twenty20 win last year, intends to join his team-mates in Hyderabad for the tournament next month despite the safety fears.”India is one of those countries I have never felt intimidated in,” he said. “Even when the crowd starts getting a little bit uppity. I have always felt like I could get shot or stabbed more in South Africa. I have never felt that in India.”While many of the Australians involved in the IPL are waiting on the security assessment of Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association, Symonds’ participation is not currently in doubt. “At this stage I will be going as planned,” he said.Symonds, who gets US$1.35m for each IPL season, was racially targeted by Indian fans in a couple of ODIs there in 2007, but his time in the Twenty20 competition has led him to call the country a “home away from home”. He remembered fondly the reception Deccan received on the streets of Hyderabad after they won the second version of the IPL. That tournament was held in South Africa due to security fears and Symonds was a happy participant.Greg Chappell, the former India coach, said he also never felt threatened in the country and was concerned that terrorist organisations were targeting sports events. “I think it would be a shame if we were pushed into a position where we were cowed by these sorts of people,” he said. “By and large they [the players] are going to be okay.”Symonds, 34, confirmed he would not be seeking another contract in first-class cricket but wants to continue playing Twenty20 for Queensland. After battling for runs in Australia’s domestic Twenty20 tournament this summer, he has linked up with Ashleigh Byron, his mentor as a teenager. He was targeted by the short-ball in the Big Bash and was dismissed in ugly fashion a couple of times, showing he was missing the regular, high-level training he had previously received while registering 26 Tests, 198 ODIs and 14 Twenty20 internationals.Less than a year after his sacking from the Australian side for another drinking misdemeanour, Symonds had only one regret about his dramatic slide. “I’m not bitter about it all,” he said. “It was just a tough environment for me to live in – the way that I liked to enjoy myself.”If I had my time again, I had to sign an agreement to go back into that side and play in that side [after being suspended in 2008-09]. I would never have signed that. It’s probably the one regret I do have. The times I played I did enjoy it. It just got to that point where at some point it was going to boil over and it did. I’m happy with that now, it’s been dealt with and life goes on.”Symonds was speaking after becoming the 13th Queensland player to be inducted into the state’s 100 first-class game club and his parents Ken and Barbara were in the audience. “I never broke the law, Mum, or did anything real bad,” he said after telling them he loved them. “I’m not proud of some of the things I did but I’m very proud of some of the things I have done.”