All posts by h716a5.icu

India have called up Sulakshana Naik and Diana David for the remaining ODIs against England, to replace Nooshin Al Khadeer and Thirush Kamini in the squad of 14

Cricinfo staff22-Feb-2010India have called up Sulakshana Naik and Diana David for the remaining ODIs against England, to replace Nooshin Al Khadeer and Thirush Kamini in the squad of 14.While wicketkeeper Naik last featured in the semi-final of the Women’s World Twenty20 against New Zealand in June last year, David makes her return to the national fold after nearly six years.Offspinner Al Khadeer failed to pick up any wickets in the first two ODIs, going for 56 in the combined 10 overs while Kamini managed 28 in the first match, and retired hurt on 2 in the second.The series is currently tied at 1-1 and the third and fourth ODIs will be played in Visakhapatnam on February 24 and 26. The fifth one-dayer and the first of three Twenty20 internationals, which were to be played at the MIG Club and DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai on March 1 and 4 respectively, have been shifted to the BKC in Mumbai, the BCCI stated in a release.

Taking to Twitter, many Southampton fans were less than impressed with Alex McCarthy for his contribution during their clash with Leicester City tonight.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side took on the Foxes as they continue their fight to avoid a drop to the Championship with a competitive fixture calendar looming and the games coming thick and fast.

The Saints have six crunch Premier League clashes from now until the end of December and all eyes will be on whether Hasenhuttl is indeed the right man to retain their English top-flight status.

In what was an entertaining thriller against the Foxes with goals at both ends, one man who attracted fierce criticism on social media for his display was McCarthy.

Saints fans slam McCarthy

The 31-year-old, who finished tonight among Southampton’s lowest-rated players on SofaScore, also contributed to Leicester’s first goal, parrying a save right back into the danger area for Jonny Evans to score (Joe Prince-Wright) and having more losses of possession than successful passes (SofaScore).

Giving away the vast majority of his long balls also, many Saints fans weren’t impressed by his “woeful” showing, with some even insisting that he “needs dropping”.

Check out some of their verdicts below:

“McCarthy needs dropping”

Credit: @marlow1992

“I’ve actually given up with McCarthy, it’s horrible to watch”

Credit: @brandanpoole

“Alex McCarthy. Woeful. He’s always been 6/10 at best. Get rid.”

Credit: @RhysMorgan2015

“Shocking from McCarthy. In absolutely no danger at all. Terrible goalkeeping”

Credit: @SamD_dappy

“can you PLEASE ask Ralph why he continues to pick McCarthy who is making goal-costing mistakes literally every single game?”

Credit: @saint_clark

“McCarthy that was woeful, tried not to get on your back after Norwich but that was so, so bad”

Credit: @sturge198

Leeds United have been handed a big boost ahead of tonight’s Premier League clash with Crystal Palace at Elland Road…

What’s the latest?

It has been revealed that the Eagles will be travelling to Yorkshire without one of their key stars after his missed his first game of the season at the weekend.

Denmark international Joachim Andersen was absent during their defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon and manager Patrick Vieira has since confirmed that he will not be involved against the Whites this evening.

“He’s not going to travel, he is not 100%,” the Frenchman told reporters (via football.london).

“We don’t know. We have to evaluate the injuries every day and see how he’s feeling. But for the game tomorrow it will be too short.”

Huge boost

This will come as a massive boost to the struggling Yorkshiremen as not only are they in desperate need of a win but they have been futile in front of goal in the absence of Patrick Bamford.

With just two wins from their opening 13 games this campaign, Leeds sit one place and three points above the relegation zone and with fixtures coming thick and fast this festive period, they could well be embroiled in a dogfight at the foot of the table come to the new year.

Only three other teams have found the net fewer times than United (12) and that’s hardly a surprise given the 28-year-old, who bagged 17 goals last term, has missed each of their last eight league outings.

Without Andersen, Palace’s backline is a much weaker prospect and that has to be a major source of encouragement for Marcelo Bielsa’s frontline, so the Argentine will surely be grinning from his office ahead of kick-off at Elland Road.

Indeed, the 25-year-old centre-back had featured in every single match until his absence at Villa Park. He has been a vital part of their form this season, too, having averaged a joint-high of 1.5 interceptions per game and makes more long balls (6.3 per game) than any other player, via WhoScored.

“He is massively important. Joachim played in France, he played in Italy, he was in the Premier League last year. He has this experience of moving around and going to a new club,” claimed Vieira earlier in the season (via football.london).

“When you want to have possession and you have a centre-back who is really comfortable having the ball at his feet it’s quite important.”

Therefore, his absence is certainly going to aid Leeds this evening and as such, Bielsa must be buzzing by this news and he can now plan accordingly.

AND in other news, Bielsa must axe Leeds’ £12.5m-rated “absolute disaster” against Palace tonight…

Everton face a difficult challenge today as they travel to the Etihad to play Premier League Champions, Manchester City.

Rafa Benitez’s side have been plagued with inconsistent performances, with just four wins from their first eleven games, which has now put the Merseyside club outside of the top half of the table in 11th.

A number of injuries have played their part in Everton’s slow start this season, with Dominic Calvert Lewin, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Yerry Mina and Richarlison all suffering with injuries in the last three months.

Luckily, Richarlison is now available for selection after returning from injury a few weeks ago, with the Brazilian international being left out of their most recent World Cup Qualifiers to focus on his fitness, he should be raring to go.

However, one player that was thought to be back in the side this weekend after being spotted in training, has been ruled out by the Spanish boss in his pre match press conference, where he confirmed four players including Mina would not be available against Man City.

Mina returned to training over the international break, with Everton taking to Instagram to confirm the centre back’s return.

The caption simply read; “Return of the King.”

The setback in defence will be gutting for Benitez and a big blow to his plans, as the centre-back has offered important defensive play in his time at the club.

Echo Everton reporter, Adam Jones, spoke on The Royal Blues podcast about Mina’s positive impact on the side and offered an interesting statistic that proves Mina is essential to Everton;

“Sky Sports put up some stats about how Everton have played in the last two years without Yerry Mina compared to the results they’ve got with him. I think it’s a 57% win percentage with Mina and that drops to 24% when he’s not in the side.

“We can speak a lot about Mina’s effectiveness and how much he can keep himself fit but it’s statistics like that which prove he’s Everton’s best centre-back when he’s on his game.”

The injury blow is exacerbated by Sunday’s opposition as they play a City attack full of goals. Without Mina, therefore, the scoreline might not look pretty come full time.

Benitez will be hoping to reintroduce key players over the next few weeks as the team goes on a run of difficult games, facing Chelsea, Arsenal and a fierce Merseyside derby against Liverpool in their upcoming fixtures before Christmas.

Picking up points where possible and getting comfortably inside the top half of the table will be the ultimate goal for the manager in the last few weeks of 2021.

In other news: Calvert-Lewin can unlock Rafa’s Everton revival

Tottenham Hotspur will be sweating on the fitness of one of their key players heading into this weekend…

What’s the latest?

The north London outfit host Leeds United on Sunday following the final international break of the year but they may well be without Cristian Romero after he picked up a suspected hamstring problem for Argentina in their draw with Brazil on Tuesday evening.

He will be assessed at Hotspur Way upon his return but the Evening Standard believe him to be a ‘major doubt’ to make the match.

The 23-year-old centre-back was replaced early in the second half as Lionel Scaloni’s side qualified for the 2022 World Cup.

A bad hamstring strain could rule the Argentina international out for at least three weeks, so it seems unlikely he will be fit to play this weekend.

Major blow

Romero, who joined on an initial loan deal from Atalanta this summer, has certainly been a crucial man for the Lilywhites so far this season.

He has started seven of their 11 league games, as well as both of Conte’s first two matches in charge – a win at Vitesse in the Europa Conference League, where he was sent off, and the 0-0 draw with Everton right before the break.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-news-updates-transfers-antonio-conte-thfc” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

The Athletic’s Charlie Eccelshare suggested that his absence would be a “major blow” to Spurs and it’s hard to disagree with such claims.

Romero was judged favourably in football.london reporter Alasdair Gold’s player ratings for the season so far, earning a 7.5/10, which was bettered by only one player (Oliver Skipp, 8/10).

The combination of his immense ball-playing ability and sheer aggression makes him a frightening prospect to come up against but now Conte will have to turn to the error-prone Davinson Sanchez, academy gem Japhet Tanganga or the rarely-seen Joe Rodon.

None of whom have started under the Italian.

Spurs have endured defensive frailties for quite some time and losing their best centre-back will certainly impact their chances of success this weekend.

Conte could quite rightly be furious with these developments should Romero miss out on the tough test of Leeds on Sunday.

AND in other news, £45m-rated “monster” open to Spurs move in January, he’d be Conte’s dream 1st signing…

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has posted a post-distribution surplus of NZ$6.84million, according to the results of their annual general meeting

Cricinfo staff22-Oct-2009New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has posted a post-distribution surplus of NZ$6.84million (US$5,138,550), according to the results of their annual general meeting. Income amounted for the 2008-09 year was $55.99m (US$42,039,643) – and was 57% up on the previous year thanks mainly to India’s tour earlier this year, which also allowed NZC increase their financial distributions to member associations.”With India touring during the past summer it was a key year for New Zealand Cricket,” said chief executive Justin Vaughan. “The tour was a resounding success for the game and was also import ant for the commercial return it provided.”Expenditure at $36.37m (US$27,311,265) – as compared to last year’s $29.33m – was attributed to increased insurance costs, higher commissions on broadcasting rights and greater spending on New Zealand A, Emerging Players and Under-19 tours. Revenue was also boosted by ICC events and foreign currency gains. Approximately $12.19 million will be shared by the associations, a 26&% increase on 2007-08.NZC operates on a four-year cycle due to variations in revenue over that period and forecasts a surplus with the current cycle to end on May 31, 2010.

A key update has emerged on Newcastle transfer target Aaron Ramsey, regarding Juventus’ plans for him ahead of the January window.

What’s the talk?

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that the Italian giants are ‘still planning’ to sell the Wales international midway through the campaign, as he is not a part of their plans moving forward.

The Magpies, and fellow Premier League side Everton, are reportedly interested in landing the former Arsenal man to bolster their squads.

Romano wrote: “Juventus are still planning to find a solution to sell Aaron Ramsey in January. He’s out of the plans and looking for a potential new challenge.”

Delight

This key update from Romano will surely leave Newcastle fans feeling delighted as it provides the Magpies with a boost in their pursuit of the midfielder ahead of January.

The reporter’s Tweet indicates that Juventus will be actively looking to move him on and that means Eddie Howe will not be trying to pluck a player away from a club that will show opposition to a transfer.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-newcastle-howe-ter-stegen” title= “Read the latest Newcastle news!”]

Fans will be buzzing with this because Ramsey could be an excellent addition to Howe’s squad and add an injection of quality and experience to the side ahead of the second half of the season.

The Welsh international is well-versed in playing top-flight football in England having made 262 Premier League appearances for Arsenal. He has also played 49 Serie A games for Juventus, scoring five goals and providing six assists for the Old Lady since his move in 2019.

Ramsey produced 65 goals and 65 assists in 371 matches for Arsenal in all competitions during his time at The Emirates and this, along with his stats for Juventus, shows that he has the quality to arrive at St. James’ Park and have an impact in the final third from midfield. His vast experience also suggests that he could help the younger players in the squad, as he has been there and done it at the top level fora number of years.

Therefore, he could be a shrewd addition to the playing squad and one fans should get excited about. This is why Romano’s update regarding Juventus’ willingness to cash in on him in January will leave the supporters feeling delighted.

AND in other news, “I’m told” – Craig Hope issues exciting NUFC claim that’ll surely leave fans buzzing…

If Younis Khan and his team fail tomorrow, he will front up and explain why they did. If there is success, he will turn up much the same. But turn up he will

Osman Samiuddin in Centurion25-Sep-2009Running away holds a significant place in Younis Khan’s scheme of things. It is a recurrent theme in his conversation, shirking from challenge, responsibility and difficulty. He has spent his career and life mired in these matters, in making his way into and out of and then back in, in refusing the vice-captaincy in 2002, in refusing the captaincy in 2007 and finally in taking it.There is a school of informed thought in Pakistan that believes when Younis turned down the captaincy after the last World Cup – effectively that he ran away, if you like – he did so because he wanted to take over when things had become even worse and some kind of savior was needed. It is self-indulgent, righteous and hubristic even, the belief that onlyyou can resolve what is a mess and right all wrongs. Democrats will also tut-tut. But the stance is also to be admired, for, potentially, you set yourself up for big falls, bigger than even the rewards. And to go into it knowing that, it is something few men take on.In a recent interview with Cricinfo, talking about taking up the captaincy time Younis said, “I am going to go into this storm, go right to the edge and see how long I can stand there.” To him that is the fun. It is a curious, contrary outlook to have and as he is a true Pathan, we can safely say he is no different from many of his kind. The balls here are untampered.Precisely these things determine his place in the side tomorrow. A finger on his right – and bottom – hand is fractured and the doctors told him he needed four weeks rest. Yesterday morning, a full two days before the India game, barely a week after the injury, the PCB – presumably with Younis’s consent, more likely on his directives – announced he will play against India. Bravado indeed.Given the opponent, it is likely he would’ve turned up had he lost a limb but nothing is ever to be assumed in Pakistan cricket; few people have forgotten just who didn’t turn up for the 1996 World Cup quarter-final against India. “I am playing tomorrow. I was told four weeks rest but I want to take my chance tomorrow, playing against India. Maybe if it wasn’t India I would’ve skipped this match. It’s very easy for me to run away, I have a fracture and I can leave it, not play against India and Australia. But these are big games. If you don’t perform in a big tournament you have to face consequences and it is very easy for me to run away here.”He is a chancer, for he believes that having tried something and failed is much more preferable than not having tried it at all. Not playing tomorrow is worse than playing and failing. And playing and succeeding is the glory of all glories. It is a choice that might dictate the inclusion or otherwise of Mohammad Asif, for example, and it is in these delicate balances of choice and decision that Younis is found.”I am looking at the big picture, who knows I may perform tomorrow and that performance will be remembered because I played with a broken finger. If I score a hundred and become Man of the Match and win the match – that is the big picture. Not playing is no advantage at all. This is manageable, maybe with an injection tomorrow, but I might play in pain tomorrow.”We’re all used to playing in pain, and the motivation has to be there to get up and play for the country. I am not 100%, it will hamper my fielding and if I get hit I will be in pain but the big picture is, why not come out and do something like Sachin did in 2003, something for my country which they will remember me for ages.”He is a fascinating study; a strikingly honest man, hyper, stubborn, proud, sometimes vindictive and much worldlier than many of his team-mates. Currently, he is one of the few really good men in Pakistan cricket’s setup. If he and his team fail tomorrow, he will front up and explain why they did. If there is success, he will turn up much the same. But turn up he will.

West Ham United made it five wins in a row as they thrashed ten-man Aston Villa in the Midlands on Sunday evening.

David Moyes’ side remained in fourth place but moved level on points with defending champions Manchester City, which only goes to show just how the Irons are playing right now.

It was yet another fine performance and another game in which Declan Rice looked class above the rest on the pitch, earning Sky Sports’ ‘Man of the Match’ award, though he admitted in his post-game interview that he was rather sloppy in the second half [18:36pm].

The England international was one of four different goalscorers, perhaps more surprisingly, one of those was not leading talisman Michail Antonio.

Academy gem Ben Johnson bagged his first-ever goal for the club, topping off an excellent run in the side, having kept six clean sheets from six starts before kickoff.

His impressive form has made it tough for Moyes to bring Vladimir Coufal straight back into the side following injury and understandably so, he was rewarded with a goal and yet another defensive masterclass to match.

Johnson’s 8.2 rating on SofaScore was only bettered by one other player in Rice, whilst he recorded a match-high eight tackles and also made four interceptions, two clearances and one block.

So not only did he open the scoring just seven minutes into the match with a beautiful strike on his weak foot, having cut inside from the right flank, but he also averted the danger of Leon Bailey and co, all of whom have been brought in to replace Jack Grealish.

Elsewhere, he was a hard man to dispose the ball of, winning eight of nine ground duels (88.8%), whilst he did not commit a single foul throughout the game. All the more impressive at just 21 years of age.

The Evening Standard were equally glowing of Johnson as they handed him an 8/10 in their post-match ratings column – the same as what Rice and Jarrod Bowen also received, which is a credit to the defender.

Dubbed “sensational” earlier in the week by club insider ExWHUemployee, the young Chadwell Heath gem fully justified his selection and on the night, he arguably stole the show at Villa Park.

AND in other news, “We have also been told”: Ex drops big West Ham takeover update, fans will be buzzing…

Manchester United may have already uncovered their next homegrown star before the last batch have even had the chance to make a real mark on the club.

Joe Hugill arrived from Sunderland in a £300,000 deal last year and has gone from strength to strength since joining the 20-time English champions.

The 6 foot 2 striker bagged an impressive 16 goals and provided a further three assists in 27 outings for United’s youth sides during his maiden campaign, but one performance in particular really caught the eye.

Despite being just 17-years old, Hugill grabbed the headlines back in February after scoring four goals as United’s U23s thumped bitter rivals Liverpool 6-3 on their own patch.

His quadruple didn’t go unnoticed by Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who lauded the youngster when asked about whether Amad Diallo, who had recently joined in a £37m transfer from Atalanta last month, would get some first-team action soon.

The Norwegian replied: “We’re gonna give him the time to settle in. If we go from that game (vs Liverpool), I’d pick Joe Hugill.

“Four goals by Hugill, he’s a top striker as well, we’re looking forward to seeing his development. Amad gets a good start, and why Joe didn’t take the penalty himself to get five goals, I’m going to ask him.”

Hugill has the chance to follow in the footstep of previous academy graduates such as Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood, but it’s another United fans favourite who the teenager resembles more closely.

His devastating finishing, wand of a left foot, tall, lean frame and technical ability all closely resemble that of Robin van Persie, and he’ll be hoping to have a similar impact upon the Old Trafford outfit as the legendary Dutch striker did.

Although he’s not blessed with pace, Hugill has no problem finding the back of the net having done so on four occasions already this season.

Only time will tell if the youngster can succeed the aforementioned stars, but if he continues to progress at his current rate, then it’s surely a matter of when and not if he makes it into Solskjaer’s first-team squad.

And, in other news…Ole could solve big MUFC problem by signing “sensational” 19 y/o who fans would love