A bilateral series between Indian and Pakistan seems unlikely, but another high-pressure one-day match between the two sides looms as both have been drawn in the same group for the Champions Trophy tournament, to be held in England between September 9 and 26 next year. The two teams will clash in a pool D match on September 20.According to a report in the Times of India, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is expected to make a formal announcement of the tournament schedule later this week, following its annual meeting.Pool A comprises Australia, New Zealand and Zimbabwe, while South Africa, West Indies and Kenya are placed in pool B. England have been slotted along with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in pool C, while the third team in pool D is Holland.The format of the tournament remains the same – the three teams in each group play one another with the top side from each pool qualifying for the semi-finals. However, unlike in the previous edition, there could be a reserve day for all 15 matches in the tournament. Also, three venues are likely to be used for the competition, one more than the number used in Sri Lanka in 2002.
Seven current or former international players will appear for New South Wales when it takes on Victoria in the opening match of the Australian domestic season at Bankstown on Sunday.Despite losing captain Steve Waugh (DVT) and pacemen Brett Lee (ribcage) and Nathan Bracken (shoulder) to injury, the Blues will be boosted by the appearance of Test stars Mark Waugh and Glenn McGrath in the state’s colours. It is the first time that McGrath will participate in a limited-overs match for the Blues since November, while Waugh has also appeared only fleetingly in recent years around a hectic schedule of international commitments.McGrath has been chosen to spearhead a well-balanced attack that also includes fellow pacemen Don Nash and Stuart Clark and leg spinner Stuart MacGill.Even in the national captain’s absence, the Blues’ batting looks similarly strong. Brad Haddin and Michael Slater are strong candidates for the opening positions, and will be followed by the likes of Michael Bevan, Mark Waugh and Michael Clarke as well as hard-hitting all-rounders Mark Higgs and Shane Lee.Continuing in the role in which he functioned for much of last season, Lee will captain the line-up and Bevan will be his deputy.Victoria is expected to name its team for the season-opening ING Cup clash later today.The full New South Wales side is: Shane Lee (c), Brad Haddin, Michael Slater, Michael Bevan, Mark Waugh, Michael Clarke, Mark Higgs, Shawn Bradstreet, Don Nash, Stuart Clark, Stuart MacGill, Glenn McGrath.
Everton fans in the Transfer Tavern are thoroughly enjoying the World Cup in Russia but are starting to get anxious over the lack of transfer activity.
New boss Marco Silva is yet to a make a signing since taking over from Sam Allardyce. New director of football, Marcel Brands, stressed the club must sell before they buy meaning our punters may have to wait until the World Cup is over. There is plenty of work to be done if the duo are to return Everton to the top four.
Signing a new left winger will be high on Silva’s wish list this summer as he looks to bolster his attack. Yannick Bolasie has failed to impress since returning from injury, and his exit could pave the way for a new signing at Goodison. Hirving Lozano has been targeted, but his impressive performances with Mexico will make competition for his signature fierce.
Instead, Everton should attempt to lure Borussia Dortmund forward – Andriy Yarmolenko – to the Premier League. Valued at £20.7m by Transfermarkt, Everton were interested in the Ukrainian during his time with Dynamo Kyiv, he ultimately chose to move to Germany. However, the move has not gone to play due to injury and Dortmund could be ready to cut their losses.
Yarmolenko made 36 appearances in all competitions, scoring ten goals and creating nine for his team-mates. The 28-year-old is blessed with tremendous pace and trickery to give defenders headaches. He would be a serious upgrade on Bolasie that would put Everton back into European contention.
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Leeds United have brought in Cameron Toshack to be Jesse Marsch’s assistant at Elland Road.
What’s the story?
Writing on Twitter, Leeds Live’s Beren Cross revealed: “A big first day for Marsch to make the right first impression at Thorp Arch today. The little differences with Bielsa are already clear. Former Swansea coach Cameron Toshack spotted in the club’s behind the scenes video too.”
That news followed on from Joe Donnohue’s own post detailing Toshack’s own achievements and history, saying: “Cameron Toshack in as Jesse Marsch’s #LUFC assistant coach, it seems. UEFA Pro Licence holder, PL2 Div 2 winner with Swansea U23s, Premier League Cup winner, finalist in the same competition a year later, and has worked with Dan James previously. He comes highly-rated.”
Another exciting appointment for Leeds
Following Marsch’s own appointment as Marcelo Bielsa’s successor at Elland Road, news of Toshack’s hire is another promising step in the right direction.
Donnohue’s background information on the Welshman makes for good reading for Leeds fans, noting that he is “highly-rated” and is someone who seems to have extensive appearance with working with young, promising talent in his time with Swansea.
The news that he has also worked with Leeds’ own Dan James previously is another another added bonus for the Whites, with the winger enduring a bit of a hit-and-miss time of things since his move from Manchester United.
Surrounding Marsch with the right personnel, especially as quickly as they have done, means the American can hit the ground running at a time when the Whites are desperate for all the points they can get in the Premier League.
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A clash against Leicester City in the early Saturday lunch-time kick off poses Marsch’s first test as Leeds manager, and having Toshack by his side ensures he has at least some sort of English football experience to lean on.
Meanwhile, Marsch could become an instant crowd favourite at Elland Road by unleashing this academy star…
Term it whatever you want – the law of averages, or an off day – but Chennai slumped to their lowest score after their batting order had taken a severe hit. They were shorn of three first-choice overseas players: their two highest runs-scorers, Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey, and an allrounder, Jacob Oram and the loss of this formidable trio eventually hurt.A strong batting performance against a bowling attack led by Glenn McGrath and Mohammad Asif would have boosted their confidence but they will now have to wait until Sunday, when they travel to Jaipur to take on Shane Warne’s Rajasthan Royals, to gain that belief.What the exodus has done to Chennai is erode their primary strength – the batting order. Delhi and Rajasthan, who are level with Chennai on four wins each, have bowling attacks to boast about but Chennai has largely ridden on its batting. Hayden and Co. have posted targets of over 200 twice so far, giving the bowlers the upper hand.Perhaps the replacements Stephen Fleming, S Vidyut and Albie Morkel just need time to get going. Vidyut, in fact, impressed with 54 off 37 balls on debut. His innings helped set a platform of sorts for Chennai were 102 for 2 in the 12th over and in a position to push for a score in excess of 169. However, watching the top order bat today inspired little confidence, certainly not as much as Hayden did, and the run flow was primarily due to a flurry of edges that fell safely behind square on both sides of the wicket.Fleming is bound to improve on his performance today, where he began slowly before cashing in on consecutive free hits against Yomahesh but he’s hardly going to intimidate bowlers like Hayden does with his muscular walk down the pitch followed by a powerful swat between midwicket and mid-on.Hussey, who was able to accumulate runs inconspicuously at a healthy strike-rate, and Hayden will be missed because they were able to bat lengthy periods and sustain aggression. Oram hasn’t had much of a role to play with the bat so far but his boundary-clearing abilities are proven and perhaps matched only by Dhoni in the Chennai outfit.What Chennai have to come to terms with for future matches is that they are now on a far more level playing field. When the tournament started their batting was far superior to most other franchises but they are now on par with most others.Moreover, their bowling attack hasn’t been the most economical in the tournament and, Murali apart, has a fast-medium sameness to it. Winning matches could get much harder for Chennai henceforth and the way their exceptional start to the tournament could prove to be the difference as the league stage approaches its business end.
Vikram Solanki has been named as captain of the England Lions (formerly England A) team that will play West Indies in a one-day warm-up match at Worcester next Thursday.Described by the chairman of selectors, David Graveney, as a team comprised of the “best available” players, the squad does not include any players from Durham, Essex, Hampshire or Warwickshire, as they are involved in Wednesday’s semi-finals of the Friends Provident Trophy. This means that the likes of Graham Onions, Phil Mustard, James Foster and Dimitri Mascarenhas were not considered.”It’s a great opportunity for the next-best to show what they can do,” said Graveney. “The selectors will be closely monitoring performances by the England Lions next week and it will provide a further opportunity for players on the fringe of the international side to press their case for selection in our one-day squad for the NatWest Series.”The squad includes four players who were involved in England’s recent World Cup campaign: Ed Joyce, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, and the 36-year-old wicketkeeper, Paul Nixon, who feared his brief international foray might have over when he was omitted from the Test series in favour of Matt Prior. But Graveney defended his selection. “If Prior broke his finger tomorrow, who would we play?” he asked. “It makes sense for Nixon to have a look at the opposition.”Commenting on the renaming of the England A team, the ECB’s commercial director said: “England Lions is an exciting new brand which reflects the importance of the team in preparing players for the demands of international cricket.” The team’s fixtures against India later this year will be broadcast live across Asia, and a further announcement about the team’s winter tour plans will be made in due course.England Lions squad 1 Will Jefferson, 2 Ed Joyce, 3 Vikram Solanki (capt), 4 Owais Shah, 5 Michael Yardy, 6 Alex Gidman, 7 Paul Nixon, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Kabir Ali, 11 James Anderson, 12 Gareth Batty.
Virender Sehwag said that his goal for the series in the West Indies was a one-day century and two Test centuries. With a 180 in the second Test at St Lucia, Sehwag will now be looking to score a similar big hundred in the next two Tests. “If I have to be a great player, I will have to make big hundreds,” Sehwag told . “If you get out before a century, then it is okay. But once you cross the three figures, it’s your best chance to make an even bigger score for the bowling side is looking to contain you rather than get you out. It becomes easy for batsmen.””One of the things which distinguishes the greats from the ordinary ones is that they don’t give up after posting a century,” Sehwag added, though refusing to be compared to Sunil Gavaskar and Vijay Merchant at this stage of his career.With only two centuries in the last 16 innings, Sehwag has come under some criticism and even his position in the side has been questioned. “You have your moments of doubt when you struggle. But I always get motivated by criticism. You actually improve when there is criticism. Your dedication also gets a leg up.”Sehwag did receive advice on his batting from Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar, though he said that he only pays heed to advice that fits his batting. “Gavaskar told me early during the one-day series against England that if I stood on my off stump, incoming deliveries would not trouble me as much. It really helped even though there wasn’t a big score in Goa.”When I speak to Tendulkar, he does not speak on technical issues. He says if only I spent time at the wicket, without worrying about runs, wickets or balls, if I concentrate on playing 50 or 100 balls, then my body will start reacting to deliveries on its own.”Sehwag himself advised youngsters in the team to try and stay on till the end of the innings and not throw their wickets away. “I take delight in their good performances. Team is like a family. If you are not happy with a fellow player’s success, then you are not a family member. Then even your performance will start going down. Young players should get as much credit as some other players get it.”India lost the one-day series against West Indies 4-1 and Sehwag said that now his strategy in one-day cricket is to stay on for 30 to 40 overs, so that the run-rate will hover around five runs an over, putting the team in a position of advantage.Against the short ball, Sehwag admitted he had a problem. “Sometimes you can’t do anything when a ball comes on to your body but it doesn’t happen everyday. On good bouncy tracks, the ball bounces and goes above your head. But in India, or on a track such as St. Lucia’s, you can’t decide whether to face it or leave it. By then the ball hits your bat and spoons up for a catch.”But when facing fast bowlers, Sehwag tries to “put fear in their hearts.” “If he knows that this batsman can hit me for a four or six, your task becomes easier. If you can’t do that to a great bowler, he would soon be all over you,” he said.
Tom MoodyOn his overview of the dayIt was a good tough day of Test cricket on a good batting pitch and our guys fought hard throughout most of the day. A couple of bat-pads went close but were not taken. The West Indies showed a lot of character and batted well throughout the day. Chanderpaul continued the brilliant form he has had since taking over as captain. Morton showed some character and the young wicketkeeper Ramdin showed a lot of composureOn whether Sri Lanka were ring-rusty after a lay-offThere were some signs that the boys have not played Test cricket for a few months. We got better and better as the day went on and I’m sure that will continue as the game progresses. It is early days on a very good cricket wicket and we are looking forward to day two. The game is very much in the balance at the moment. We just need to hang in there and fight hard. When we get a chance to bat we have to make them payOn whether Sri Lanka may have taken West Indies lightlyYou can’t take any team lightly at this level and I know the boys weren’t taking the West Indians lightly.On Sri Lanka’s fieldingWe were a little bit sloppy in the field at times but nothing to send off any alarm signals.On Murali’s comebackI am not disappointed at all with Murali’s performance after an 11-month absence. He conceded just 56 runs from 29 overs and beat the bat on several occasions.On Malinga’s no balls and Wijekoon’s debutThat [Malinga’s no balls] is something we need to sit down and work on in practice. But he showed his great value as a strike bowler with a couple of crucial wickets. He is an exciting cricketer and this is an area where we can help to improve his game. I thought Gayan did a good job. He is playing in the side as an all rounder and he took a couple of wickets and shared some of the workload. He will also play an important role down the order with the bat.Denesh RamdinOn his debut performanceI was surprised that I did not have any butterflies. I just went out there and tried to be positive. It was a shame to not get a hundred but maybe I can do that in the second innings.On West Indies’ dayIt was generally a good day for us, although a couple got starts but were not able to go on. Hopefully, we can come back tomorrow and carry on.
Mathew Sinclair has been called into the New Zealand squad ahead of the second Test at Headingley, as cover for Craig McMillan, who has re-fractured the little finger on his left hand and will make a decision on his fitness on Tuesday.McMillan has struggled for form all tour and managed just six runs in two innings in the first-Test defeat at Lord’s last week. He suffered the injury after being struck by a Darren Maddy delivery, during New Zealand’s 328-run victory over Leicestershire."Craig has re-broken the finger in the same place," confirmed the team manager, Lindsay Crocker. "It is still pretty sore and swollen at the moment, and we are waiting for it to settle and the bruising to die down a bit. The plan is that he will have a bat tomorrow and see how he feels."Sinclair, who scored a double-century on his debut in 1999-2000, was a surprise omission from New Zealand’s tour party, after he marked his Test recall with 74 against South Africa at Wellington earlier this year. He has since been honing his technique in the East Anglian League, and was the obvious choice to step up.
Australia 258 for 4 (Symonds 75, Clarke 75*) beat West Indies 233 for 9 (Gayle 43, Hinds 42) by 25 runs and lead the 7-match series 3-0It was an unfamiliar-looking Australian side – no Adam Gilchrist, no Darren Lehmann, no Brett Lee (so no Lee in the Leeward Islands) – but by the end of this match, at the beautiful Beausejour Stadium in St Lucia, the tale was rather more familiar. Australia won quite easily by 25 runs, their 20th consecutive one-day victory, and now lead the seven-match series 3-0.
Australia’s batting heroes were Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke, who added 99 together after Ricky Ponting’s run-out briefly threatened a wobble. The 22-year-old Clarke, cool and correct, still doesn’t have an ODI average after adding 75 not out to the unbeaten 39 he made in his only previous game, against England at Adelaide in January. Sporting more hair than in that innings, Clarke survived for 100 balls here, and worked the ball around well. He hit only five fours, one of them a stand-to-attention pull to midwicket off a short one from Omari Banks, but nonetheless impressed in a mature innings which, when added to three crisp catches later on, won him the Man of the Match award. At the end, as Clarke scampered sharp singles with his fellow New South Welshman Michael Bevan, it was hard to spot who was the renowned one-day finisher and who was the young apprentice.Symonds also played well, recovering from running out his captain to post a muscular 75, with nine crunching fours, before heaving across a fuller one from Chris Gayle (178 for 4). Ponting had threatened to take charge, and had breezed to 32 before Symonds called him through for a quick single. Corey Collymore, the bowler, pounced on the ball and underarmed it into the stumps. It was a close-run thing, and the third umpire Eddie Nicholls needed a couple of replays before he pressed the red button. That made it 79 for 3, in the 17th over.Earlier Matthew Hayden had tickled one that bounced a bit from Merv Dillon to Carlton Baugh behind the stumps (25 for 1). It was only the first ball of the fifth over, but Hayden had already clumped four fours in his 20. At the other end Jimmy Maher, given the doubly exacting task of deputising for Gilchrist with both kinds of gloves, had grafted to 17 off 33 balls when he tried to sweep Banks’s busy offspin. He only succeeded in popping the ball straight to Devon Smith at short fine leg (48 for 2).For a while, when Gayle was smashing Jason Gillespie straight for six and clubbing Glenn McGrath for a no-prisoners four, West Indies were in with a chance. But then reality set in – Gayle fell to Nathan Hauritz for 43, Brian Lara was castled by Andy Bichel for just 4, and Australia were favourites again.Hauritz, the young offspinner from Queensland, made two important incisions. With his second ball he persuaded Ramnaresh Sarwan to drive uppishly to Gillespie at mid-off (67 for 2), then in his next over Gayle cut one straight to Clarke at point (70 for 3). Hauritz had 2 for 3 in eight balls, and Australia were back on top after Gayle’s mini-blitz.Wavell Hinds, restored to the side after being dropped, played his way back to something like form, compiling 42 in 59 balls before he was run out by the length of the pitch immediately after a drinks session (150 for 5). Hinds had put on 65 with Marlon Samuels, whom he had been expected to replace in the side – but a late bout of sickness to Vasbert Drakes handed Samuels an 11th-hour reprieve, and he too regained some form with an obdurate 37 in 65 balls. Ricardo Powell clattered Brad Hogg for an effortless six, and Bichel for another, but after bashing 26 from just 11 balls he flat-batted Gillespie to Clarke at deep cover (181 for 6). Next ball Samuels slashed the same bowler to the same fielder, and the game was as good as up.The first to go had been Smith, caught behind by Maher while attempting to run McGrath down to third man (20 for 1). But the key wicket, as always, was Lara’s: attempting a cross-batted heave at Bichel, he succeeded only in dragging the ball into his stumps (85 for 4). It was the sixth time Bichel had dismissed Lara in ODIs, and it derailed West Indies’ chances of a win here.Steven Lynch is editor of Wisden CricInfo.