Tamil Nadu played analytical cricket on the fourth day of their RanjiTrophy league match against Hyderabad at Chennai, picking up fivepoints by virtue of a first-innings lead.With the match destined for a draw, Tamil Nadu batsmen TR Arasu (78off 268) and MR Shrinivas (28 off 154) made the required runs with adisplay of grit and resolution. Arasu fell with the score on 290, butShrinivas and R Ramkumar (37 off 60) took Tamil Nadu past Hyderabad’sfirst-innings total of 336.Bowled out for 351, Tamil Nadu then reduced Hyderabad to 150/2 by theclose of play, with Ramkumar picking up both wickets. Daniel Manoharwas unbeaten on 65, while Arjun Shivlal Yadav was unbeaten on 38.
Nottinghamshire will need to bat well on the third day if they are to avoid the follow-on but on a track condusive to batting they have advanced to 45-1 from 24 overs without too many problems, still 460 behind.On a rain-shortened second day Essex advanced their first innings to 505-9 before skipper Ronnie Irani called a halt.Friday’s 3rd wicket stand of 248 between Paul Grayson and Stuart Law had laid the foundation for a big total but after a delayed start Notts fought their way back into the contest by taking three quick wickets, including that of Law, who was eventually dismissed for 165.Only 5 overs were possible during the afternoon session and it was something of a surprise when Irani chose to bat on at the resumption after tea with his side on 432-7.Some bright hitting from Danny Law and Ashley Cowan lifted Essex past 450 but then came a moment to savour for Stephen Randall. The 20 year old off-spinner, playing in his fourth first class match, picked up his first senior wicket as Cowan hit across the line and was palpably given out leg before wicket.At the other end ‘AJ’ Harris continued to toil and deservedly picked up his 5th wicket when Mark Ilott clipped just behind square and Guy Welton took a comfortable catch. That brought last man peter Such to the wicket, playing against the county where he began his career. Before Such had faced a ball Danny Law had lifted Randall on to the top tier of the Radcliffe Road Stand, a huge hit. He then turned his next ball to leg to bring up his 50, having faced 95 deliveries. Randall’s woe continued when Such skied his first ball and Welton, at full stretch, saw the ball pop free as he hit the turf.Law hit Randall for two more sixes in an over which yielded 18 and took Essex past the 500 mark. Irani then called the innings to a halt with Danny Law unbeaten on 68 and Harris taking the bowling honours for Notts with 5-139.In reply Darren Bicknell and Guy Welton negotiated the opening hour of their innings without too many alarms but when Irani replaced Ilott at the Radcliffe Road end to begin his second spell he had immediate success. Welton, who’d made 13, edged the ball low to first slip where the 6’4″ Ashley Cowan took a good catch.Jason Gallian joined Bicknell and they ensured that Notts reached the close without any further loss – Bicknell ending the day on 29 not out.
Everton have made a number of transfer mistakes over the years since Farhad Moshiri took ownership at Goodison Park and their latest howler could be on his way out of the club sooner rather than later if reports are to be believed.
Dele Alli joined Everton in January on Deadline Day as one of Frank Lampard’s last minute signings brought in to work alongside the new manager to inspire a turnaround for the club after falling into a relegation battle this season, however the ex-Tottenham Hotspur star has failed to make an impact so far.
The 22.5m-rated flop who was branded “lazy” by former manager Jose Mourinho, has struggled to win a place in the Everton team since he joined almost three months ago, and is yet to start a game for the Toffees.
However, he has made six appearances playing 169 minutes so far, with Lampard offering him the opportunity to make a good impression and impact, but hasn’t achieved that in his game time, with no goal contributions and the team has lost all but one game Alli has been involved in so far.
Despite signing a two and a half year permanent deal with Everton, TeamTalk are now reporting that the deal could be cut short for the attacking midfielder, with the 25 year old reportedly told that he is not good enough to start from Everton and that his career could be in jeopardy if he doesn’t change his attitude.
Moshiri could save £10m this summer by axing Alli, as part of the deal required the Englishman to make 20 appearances for Everton before the club would be required to make any payment to the Lilywhites, with a reported instalment plan in place worth up to £40m, but if the reports are true and the player’s time at Goodison Park is cut short, then this could save the club millions ahead of the summer transfer window.
Everton are currently in a particularly vulnerable position despite beating Newcastle United last week in an explosive 1-0 victory at Goodison Park, the side are still unstable just three points safe from the drop zone and still in 17th in the Premier League table.
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With that being said, Frank Lampard cannot afford to take any risks or leave room for error, which further reflects in Alli’s lack of selection as the Toffees boss obviously doesn’t feel the player is trustworthy enough to make a positive impact in the team as they fight for their place in top flight football for next season.
In other news: Everton make contact with “complete” £16.2m-rated star, Lampard desperately needs him
Simon Katich believes Phil Jaques should partner Matthew Hayden in next month’s first Test, but the opener insists it is too early for him to be a certain selection. Jaques scored a second-innings 167 in the Pura Cup match against Western Australia this week to out-point his rival Chris Rogers, who made 9 and 17.Katich, the New South Wales captain, expects his “run machine” to be at the Gabba when Australia play Sri Lanka from November 8. “We’re going to find it hard to replace him if he gets picked, but obviously 160-odd thoroughly deserves selection,” Katich told AAP. “But not only that, what he’s done in the last four or five seasons. He’s been a run machine, both here and in England, so he thoroughly deserves his chance if he gets it.”Jaques, who has played two Tests, was more cautious about his prospects and said a promotion was “too early to call”. “It’s out of my hands,” he said. “I put a score on the board in the first couple of games, which I was asked to do, and we’ll just see what happens.”He will have another opportunity to impress when New South Wales host Queensland in the Pura Cup from October 26. Injuries will make Jaques’ task slightly easier as Andy Bichel, Shane Watson and Michael Kasprowicz will be absent. “Each of those players is making progress,” Ray Phillips, the Queensland selection chairman, said. “We expect them to come under consideration for the tour match against Sri Lanka.”The internationals Hayden, Andrew Symonds, Mitchell Johnson and James Hopes will bolster the Bulls after returning from the one-day series in India. They will replace Aaron Nye, Greg Moller, Chris Swan and Ben Cutting, who played in the first-innings win over Tasmania.Bichel missed the first round of Queensland fixtures with a shoulder problem and realises the injury could be career-threatening if it does not respond to treatment. “There is no doubt that is the worst-case scenario,” Bichel said in the . “But I am confident I can get back.”He said it could be two weeks before he is bowling again, putting him in danger of missing Queensland’s tour game against Sri Lanka starting on November 2. “It is a bit of a setback,” he said. “At this stage it is not as good as we would like it.”Martin Love has been chosen in Queensland’s 2nd XI squad to travel to Perth as part of his comeback from knee surgery while Watson (hamstring) and Kasprowicz (calf) are expected to be eased through the club system. The Bulls kept the same FR Cup side that lost the opening match to Tasmania for the contest with New South Wales at the SCG on Wednesday. The Blues also did not make any changes to their squad.Queensland FR Cup squad Jimmy Maher (capt), Ryan Broad, Aaron Nye, Clinton Perren, Craig Philipson, Michael Buchanan, Chris Simpson, Chris Hartley (wk), Ashley Noffke, Nathan Reardon, Scott Brant, Grant Sullivan.New South Wales FR Cup squad Phil Jaques, Ed Cowan, Simon Katich (capt), Peter Forrest, Dominic Thornely, Stephen O’Keefe, Daniel Smith (wk), Grant Lambert, Nathan Hauritz, Matthew Nicholson, Doug Bollinger, Mark Cameron.Queensland Pura Cup squad Matthew Hayden, Ryan Broad, Clinton Perren, Jimmy Maher (capt), Andrew Symonds, James Hopes, Chris Hartley (wk), Chris Simpson, Ashley Noffke, Mitchell Johnson, Daniel Doran, Grant Sullivan.
Wellington v Central Districts Day 3 New Zealand hopeful Michael Mason tore through the Wellington lower order on a rain-shortened day to leave this match delicately poised with a day to play. The third day ended early with rain and bad light but not before Wellington picked up the vital wickets of Jamie How (9) and Mathew Sinclair. Central, chasing 227 for victory, require another 175 runs on a pitch that has proved difficult to score heavily on. Mason, with 4 for 44 from 18.2 overs, was the best of the bowlers but Wellington will be disappointed with their total. All the top-order batsmen bar nightwatchman Jeetan Patel made starts but only Michael Parlane (53) passed 50.Auckland v Otago Day 2 Big scores from Tim McIntosh and Rob Nicol might have lit the fuse, but it was Andre Adams who provided the pyrotechnics on day two of this match at the neutral venue of Lincoln, just outside of Christchurch.Adams, batting at No. 8, hit 10 fours and a staggering eight sixes in his unbeaten 117 off 94 balls to allow Auckland the luxury of declaring with more than 600 runs. Otago will know the feeling well, having declared on 601 for 9 in their opening match against Canterbury last week. Adams’s innings completely overshadowed the meritorious, though sedate by comparison, 160 from Nicol. McIntosh took his overnight 173 to 205 before being dismissed and Reece Young hit 79.In reply Otago were in dire trouble, losing three quick wickets. Adams removed the promising Jordan Sheed for 1 and Aaron Redmond for a duck while Chris Martin removed the in-form Craig Cumming for 7.Cantebury v Norhern Districts Day 2 Shanan Stewart guided Canterbury to first-innings points in this low-scoring match. No Canterbury batsman passed 50 – Craig McMillan top scored with 42 – but Stewart’s 26 not out, batting lower than normal at No. 8, was the difference between the sides. The most notable feature of a dull day, however, was the return of former New Zealand bowler Daryl Tuffey, who impressed with 3 for 61 from 24 overs. Mark Orchard took 4 for 33, also off 24 overs.
Richie Benaud, the former Australian captain, has urged Shane Warne to prolong his Testcareer until the next Ashes series in England in 2009.Warne, the most successful bowler in Test history with 651 wickets in 133 games, will turn 40 during that tour. “I was talking to him the other day and said to him ‘You can do this’,” Benaud toldBBC TV. “He is bowling better now than I’ve seen him for years and years. It’s been wonderful to watch.”Warne took 40 wickets in a losing cause during this summer’s Ashes series and earlier this week established a new record for the most Test wickets in a calendar year when he surpassed Dennis Lillee’s total of 85 in 1981.Benaud believes if Warne continues his policy of not playing one-day internationals, despite pressure for him to relent in time for next year’s World Cup, he will still be a force to be reckoned with when they next visit England. “I told him ‘They thought they’d seen the back of you, now why don’t you give some serious thought to going across there for the next Ashes battle?’.”He looked at me for a long time and just turned and said ‘Thanks’, though whether that’s ‘Thanks, but no thanks’ or ‘Thanks, thanks’, I don’t know,” said Benaud, who called time on his own Test career at the age of 33. Warne had a number of injuries between 1998 and 2001, and was banned for a year in 2003 after failing a drugs test.But he remains at the peak of his powers and confirmed he wants to help Australia regain the Ashes on home soil next winter. “My record in my last 40-50 Tests has probably been better than at any stage of my career,” he said recently. “If I’m enjoying my cricket and bowling injury-free, then I hope I am playing in the next Ashes series. I have no immediate plans to retire. I’m enjoying my cricket, simple as that.”
Match abandoned The first one-day international between England Under-19s and Bangladesh was abandoned without a ball being bowled, after heavy overnight rain saturated the pitch at Arundel. It was another frustrating day for the Bangladeshis, who had enjoyed the upper hand in the third and final Test at Cardiff, only for the weather to wreck that encounter.The teams now reconvene at Hove on Thursday, for what has now become a best-of-two matches affair.
Brett Lee, who has been cleared to play in the second Test against Bangladesh on Friday despite a back problem, is expecting plenty of success on a pacy wicket at Cairns. Bangladesh were shot out for 97 and 178 on a sluggish track in Darwin, but conditions are likely to be even more in the bowlers’ favour.Kevin Mitchell, the curator, said that recent wet weather had produced more grass than expected, and there had not been enough sun to dry the wicket out. The prospect had Lee licking his chops. “I haven’t seen a nice fast wicket for a while,” he said, “but this looks as close to a green-top as possible.”Lee, who picked up match figures of 4 for 57 at Darwin, has set his sights on becoming Australia’s spearhead in the coming years. “Whether that happens in one, three or five years time … I’m channelling all my emotions and my energy toward it in the long run. While it was good to bowl fast it still comes to taking wickets and I was pleased to be able to do both in Darwin.”Lee had to withdraw from the attack on the third morning of the Darwin Test complaining of pain in his back. He was diagnosed as suffering from an inflamed facet joint and given an anti-inflammatory injection, which appears to have had the desired effect.Errol Alcott, Australia’s physiotherapist, explained that the injury was probably caused by Lee bowling prolonged spells after a long lay-off. “It’s not uncommon,” Alcott told the Australian newspaper. “It usually happens at the start of a season when players are with their states, but because we’ve gone straight into a Test series after a six-week break the body has not had the chance to get used to bowling again.”
Shayne O’Connor’s tour of Australia is over.The tall Otago left-armer has improved since injuring the patella tendon in his right knee during the first Test, but not enough to convince the tour selectors that he can make an active contribution to the remainder of the Test tour.Rest has been ordered as the best way to recuperate from the injury.The injury and the return home is a blow for O’Connor who has worked hard since last summer to get back into his best form.Just as he was looking to get a degree of permanence about his Test place he broke down last summer and his return was keenly awaited, especially with the left-arm swing that lent variety to the attack.Like all of the New Zealand bowlers in the first Test in Brisbane, he looked rusty after being off the scene for so long but there was hope that the exposure in that Test would bring them all up to the mark for the second Test starting on Thursday in Hobart.However, injury has provided another player with a chance and after Daryl Tuffey’s performances in Adelaide against South Australia he was the obvious replacement for Dion Nash who returned home earlier while the third pace bowling spot will be contested between Chris Martin and his fellow Cantabrian Shane Bond, who replaced Nash.Given his performances in Adelaide and his ability with the bat which will provide further length to the New Zealand order, Bond is likely to be the preferred option.
Taking to Twitter, reliable journalist Christian Falk of Bild has just shared a major behind-the-scenes Mohamed Salah update for Liverpool supporters.
The Lowdown: Salah blow…
As reported by reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano, talks over a new deal for Liverpool’s superstar broke down recently with negotiations over fresh terms now at a stand-still.
Salah is out of contract in 2023 as things stand, putting Fenway Sports Group under a degree of pressure to either extend his current deal or contemplate selling the Egyptian while they still can.
The latter seems quite out of the question but reports have recently suggested that Salah hasn’t totally ruled out the idea of departing Anfield.
Sharing news on the 29-year-old’s exit stance amid his contractual stand-off, Falk has some big news for Reds.
The Latest: Liverpool handed Salah boost…
According to Falk, Salah has personally told colleagues in the Liverpool dressing room that he would like to remain on Merseyside.
“TRUE,” the big-name reporter exclaimed on Twitter.
“In the dressing room (at Arsenal) Mohamed Salah told colleagues that he would like to stay at LFC.”
The Verdict: Big boost…
Given Salah’s stance, it appears the ball is firmly in Liverpool’s court, with FSG and co now potentially needing to table much-improved terms.
Jurgen Klopp may well be boosted by his winger’s stance of preferably staying at Anfield, especially taking into account just how crucial Salah is to this Liverpool team.
The Egyptian mega star stands out as the Reds’ most potent attacking threat, racking up the most goals and assists combined by far under Klopp in the Premier League (20G, 10A).
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He also takes the most shots at goal with a huge 4.3 attempts per match, all while averaging the highest overall match rating out of any Liverpool player (WhoScored).
Keeping Salah is absolutely crucial and this update may well come as an encouraging one.
In other news: Liverpool officials make FSG transfer demand as door now opens for Klopp to sign ‘unplayable’ attacker, find out more here.