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In theory this is the rematch of the most recent Champions Trophy final. In reality, it looms as a serious mismatch

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale25-Sep-2009Match factsSaturday, September 26, 2009
Start time 9:30 am, 07:30 GMTBig pictureBrett Lee found form in England and will be one of the keys for Australia•Getty ImagesIn theory this is the rematch of the most recent Champions Trophy final. In reality, it looms as a serious mismatch. In 2006 in Mumbai, an Australian side featuring Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath, Damien Martyn, Brad Hogg and Andrew Symonds polished off a disappointing Brian Lara-led West Indies outfit to take the title. Flash forward three years and Australia, the defending champions, have lost much of their aura and sit second on the ODI rankings. They are by no means favourites to hold the title but they should kick off their tournament with victory over a mish-mash of second-string West Indians who were beaten at home by Bangladesh but did give Pakistan a scare this week.Australia have just beaten England 6-1, so their form is impressive. However, they have only just arrived in South Africa and without any warm-up matches they must resist the temptation to treat this game as a centre-wicket practice. A resounding win is required to give them momentum ahead of their matches against India and Pakistan – the teams are competing for two semi-finals spots. Weariness could be a factor and Ricky Ponting said this week the squad featured a lot of tired bodies after a four-month tour of England. Australia are also without their one-day specialist Nathan Bracken, although there is plenty of pace-bowling backup in the squad.For this replacement West Indies side it’s business as usual – they enter the game as severe underdogs with no expectations on their shoulders. Gavin Tonge, who starred against Pakistan, forms part of a handy attack along with Darren Sammy and, if he plays, Kemar Roach. But the batting is fragile and West Indies’ best hope could be to bowl first and hope for early-morning swing and seam to upset Australia’s top order.Form guide (last five completed matches, most recent first)Australia – LWWWW
West Indies – LLLLNR
Team newsAustralia have lost their highest-ranked one-day international bowler, Bracken, who has been sent home due to an ongoing knee problem. It means a reshuffling of the attack, which will be led by Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson. All the bowlers were given a run during the series in England and Peter Siddle appears the likely immediate beneficiary of Bracken’s absence. Australia will also be without their vice-captain Michael Clarke, who was suffering from back pain after the flight from England to South Africa. He missed Thursday’s practice but the coach Tim Nielsen said his condition was “improving”. His spot could go to the allrounder James Hopes.”Since arriving here and having had to travel from Durham down to London and London to Johannesburg, he’s stiffened up quite considerably,” Nielsen said. “At the moment it’s a day-by-day proposition for us and he’s improving, but with the whole tournament in mind we’re taking a conservative approach, so he won’t play tomorrow.”Australia (possible): 1 Shane Watson, 2 Tim Paine (wk), 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Callum Ferguson, 6 Cameron White, 7 James Hopes, 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Nathan Hauritz, 11 Peter Siddle.Neither the fast bowler Kemar Roach nor the batsman Kieran Powell played in the loss to Pakistan and they could strengthen the West Indies line-up. The real team news, of course, has been well documented before the tournament began. Not much was expected of the side and they put in a commendable effort in the opening game. But regardless of which XI they put out on the field, they should be far too weak for Australia.West Indies (possible): 1 Dale Richards, 2 Andre Fletcher, 3 Devon Smith, 4 Travis Dowlin, 5 Floyd Reifer (capt), 6 David Bernard, 7 Darren Sammy, 8 Chadwick Walton (wk), 9 Nikita Miller, 10 Tino Best, 11 Gavin Tonge.Watch out for…Having sat out of the entire Ashes series, Brett Lee had a point to prove in the one-dayers in England. What he confirmed was that he remains a fearsome force in one-day cricket with his fast, accurate bowling and mastery of the yorker. It was enough to rattle England and if he finds his rhythm, the weakened West Indies top order will have a major challenge on their hands.West Indies have found a quality bowler of their own in Tonge, whose 4 for 25 against Pakistan gave his team a sniff in a low-scoring match. West Indies’ batting does not look threatening, so their best chance may be if Australia’s batsmen don’t give the Caribbean attack due respect. If that is the case, Tonge has the ability to pounce.Pitch and conditions The Wanderers was the venue of the low-scoring Pakistan-West Indies match, and the early-morning start will add to the assistance for the fast bowlers. The forecast for Saturday is sunny and 28 degrees.Stats and trivia The 15 men in the West Indies squad between them have played 130 one-day internationals; Australia’s 14 remaining players have a combined 1094 ODI caps Australia’s recent form at the Wanderers is good. They beat South Africa there in a one-day international in April, having also triumphed in the Test match there earlier in the tour Australia and West Indies met in the final of the previous Champions Trophy in Mumbai three years ago. It is likely only four players from that match will take part in this game: Ricky Ponting, Lee, Michael Hussey and Shane WatsonQuotes”West Indies will get the respect they deserve from us. There is nothing we can do about the contractual dispute.”
.”Hopefully [the pitch] will be behaving the same way when we meet Australia. I will put the ball on the same spot and let the pitch do the same.”

According to The Mirror, the probable appointment of Antonio Conte as Tottenham manager is against Daniel Levy’s wishes, who has instead been ‘keen’ for Paulo Fonseca to take over.

The Lowdown: Conte’s arrival imminent

Nuno Espirito Santo was relieved of his duties at Spurs after Sunday’s 3-0 loss to Manchester United, the club’s fifth loss in seven Premier League matches (Sky Sports).

Conte is set to become the club’s next boss, expected to put pen to paper on an 18-month deal (via The Express).

The Italian maverick has of course already enjoyed major success in England with Chelsea and has a rather stunning list of accomplishments across his career, racking up five domestic league titles on the back of his famous three-at-the-back counter-attacking style.

The Latest: Levy keen on Fonseca

However, it seems Conte is not Levy’s favourite for the job.

The Mirror say that the Lilywhites chairman was ‘keen’ on a return for Fonseca, who almost made the move to north London in the summer, and it was only because of Fabio Paratici’s insistence that Conte became the priority. Scott Parker was also a name in the conversation.

The report does say that Spurs are still ‘poised’ to appoint the Italian however, so it doesn’t appear as though Levy’s wishes will obstruct what is an exciting move for the former Juventus gaffer.

The Verdict: Conte the obvious choice

With nine career trophies to his name, Fonseca impressed at Shakhtar Donetsk in particular, drawing massive praise out of Pep Guardiola when the Ukrainian outfit bested Manchester City in a Champions League group stage game back in 2018.

He then made the move to AS Roma and was even hailed as ‘similar to (Thomas) Tuchel’ by Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but was eventually replaced by Jose Mourinho.

However, the Portuguese does not have Conte’s pedigree. The Italian has won league titles with three different sides in major European leagues – Juventus, Inter Milan and Chelsea – and also managed the Italy national team.

He has therefore proven his ability at the highest level – as soon as it became clear he was available, he was surely the only man for the job if Spurs truly have any ambition of challenging for trophies.

In other news, Spurs make their move for this man.

A round-up of matches from the first day of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

Cricinfo staff20-Oct-2009West ZoneMumbai’s powerful top-order delivered to set up a comfortable 32-run victory over Baroda in their opening match in Pune. Openers Paul Valthaty (45-ball 70) and Wasim Jaffer (31-ball 37) piled on 106 by the 11th over, before Baroda captain Yusuf Pathan removed both in two successive overs. There was no slowing the pace, though, as Rohit Sharma hammered 47 off 26 deliveries to take Mumbai to 190 despite a flurry of late wickets. Baroda started chasing the stiff target aggressively, but they were undermined by a steady fall of wickets, and the fact that none of their batsmen carried on after getting starts. Ajit Agarkar took three important wickets to be Mumbai’s standout bowler. The match was also Zaheer Khan’s first after the World Twenty20 in June; he had a low-key outing, though he grabbed the big wicket of Pathan.The zone’s other match of the day followed a similar pattern, Gujarat amassing 191 before cruising to a 28-run win over Maharashtra. It was the top order which did the job for Gujarat; opener Parthiv Patel making a 36-ball 49 and No. 3 Niraj Patel top-scoring with a 40-ball 54, powering the side to 191. Like Baroda, Maharashtra’s chase started in earnest but regular wickets – they lost three in the space of seven deliveries from 71 for 1 – meant the pace slackened. Only one of the top five made it past 20, effectively ending Mahrashtra’s chances.East ZoneSairaj Bahutule’s 4 for 19 was the standout performance as Assam convincingly beat Orissa by seven wickets at the Railway Stadium in Dhanbad. Choosing to bat, the Orissa innings never really got going with seamers Priyam Das and Abu Nechim doing the early damage. Bahutule then added to Orissa’s woes denting the middle order severely. The batsmen floundered against his leg spin, with Rashmi Das contributing the highest of 19 to the well below-par score of 83. Parvez Aziz led a solid reply for Assam even as they lost two wickets with the score on 41. He struck three fours and two sixes during his 42-ball 37, before Deepak Sharma sealed the win with a quick unbeaten 22, including four boundaries.Tripura were shot out by Jharkhand for a paltry 30, the lowest-ever Twenty20 score, at the same city. Read the report here.North ZoneDelhi scored a comfortable 49-run win over Jammu and Kashmir at the Palam B Ground in Delhi. Opener Shikhar Dhawan starred with a half-century and was supported by contributions from Rajat Bhatia (42 not out), Farman Ahmed (29) and Mayank Tehlan (23 not out) to lift Delhi to a match-winning score of 167. J&K’s reply was lacklustre, with Pradeep Sangwan (3 for 25) and Bhatia (2 for 14) causing the early damage. Amit Baloria top scored with an unbeaten 31 but there was little backing from the other end, and J&K were bowled out for 118.Captain Paras Dogra and Vikramjeet Malik shone for Himachal Pradesh, as they beat Services by 14 runs in a low-scoring encounter in Delhi. Dogra struck three fours and a six in his unbeaten 54 and was involved in a partnership of 65 with opener Mukesh Sharma (39). The pair helped HP post a competitive score of 135, which proved too many for Services. Only Yashpal Singh fought hard with a 41-ball 58, as Malik (3 for 14) and Jitender Mehta shared five wickets to bowl the opposition out for 121.Punjab emerged triumphant against neighbours Haryana by nine wickets in Delhi. Medium-pacer Love Ablish took 5 for 20 to keep Haryana down to 111, opener Rahul Dewan top scoring with a run-a-ball 35. Haryana needed early breakthroughs to put pressure on Punjab, but that didn’t happen. Ravi Inder Singh blazed to 69 in 54 balls and added 79 with opener Sunny Sohal (27) to shut out any hopes Haryana may have had of fighting back after a disappointing batting display.Central ZoneA combined batting effort from Railways led by Sanjay Bangar’s 35-ball 57 handed them a convincing 26-run win over Uttar Pradesh in Indore. TP Singh (34) and wicketkeeper Dhiran Salvi (28) rallied around Bangar to take Railways to a challenging 173. Piyush Chawla was UP’s best player, taking 3 for 35 and chipping in with a 16-ball 25 in the chase. He had added 47 for the fourth wicket with Parvinder Singh (51 not out), but a middle-order collapse, where UP lost four wickets for 18 runs, shut them out of the game.

The opening one-day international at the Wanderers was abandoned without a ball bowled after the heavy rain that has plagued Johannesburg in recent days continued

Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan20-Nov-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThe first ODI didn’t get close to start at the Wanderers•Getty ImagesThe opening one-day international at the Wanderers was abandoned without a ball bowled after the heavy rain that has plagued Johannesburg in recent days continued. The umpires made two inspections and called the game off at 5pm when it became clear the weather wasn’t going to allow a contest.Mickey Arthur and Andy Flower, the two coaches, made an appearance at the ground, but both teams stayed in their hotels which gave a clear indication as to the prospects. The signs hadn’t been good leading into the match when England were forced to train indoors yesterday including making use of a covered car park for fielding practice.The washout means that Paul Collingwood will have to wait until Sunday, at Centurion, to become England’s most capped ODI player. He remains level with Alec Stewart on 170 appearances, but the rain in Johannesburg at least means he has a couple of extra days to rest his troublesome back.The same applies for James Anderson who can give his sore knee some extra treatment and England will be the happier of the two sides about a delayed start to the series with a number of injuries in the squad. Stuart Broad (shoulder) and Graeme Swann (side) are already ruled out of the second match with Liam Plunkett and James Tredwell having been called up as cover.The forecast is better for Sunday when the series moves the short distance north to Centurion Park, where South Africa gave England a thumping in the Twenty20 last week, before further matches at Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Durban.

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard could bring assistants Gary McAllister and Michael Beale with him to Aston Villa, should a move to Villa Park materialise.

That’s according to The Telegraph, relayed by @villareport, and the rumours have had plenty of Villa fans talking online.

Gerrard is thought to be interested in a move to the Midlands to take over from Dean Smith, who was sacked on Sunday, with an official approach to the Scottish giants expected soon, with Ashley Preece going as far as to say that Gerrard to Villa is all but done.

The Telegraph shared a story on Tuesday evening, suggesting Villa could launch moves for McAllister and Beale, should discussions with Rangers and Gerrard run smoothly.

Gerrard recently hailed Beale, who has been by his side since taking over, after he was linked with the Cardiff City job.

Meanwhile, McAllister, who has been with Gerrard ever since taking over at Ibrox in 2018, knows Villa Park well following a spell as an assistant over 10 years ago.

Villa fans react

This is what these Villa fans had to say in reply to the links to McAllister and Beale, with many hoping to see the pair join Gerrard.

“As long as we keep Neil Cutler I’m buzzing with that”

Credit: @tom_avfc1

“This is extremely important. I think if these guys join, we would also keep Cutler and one of Danks or McPhee. Also, pumped for the return of Gary McAllister.”

Credit: @jmhart1

“This is absolutely vital. Without his trusted assistants in tow, I’d be seriously concerned. With them, there are reasons to believe this could be a good appointment”

Credit: @dvtavfc

“Rangers fans won’t like that. I’ve seen several wanting Beale to take over if Stevie left.”

Credit: @JayVtid

“We are taking over”

Credit: @Blakeavfc2

“This is good news. They are very good coaches, especially Beale. Cutler to stay at AV too please.”

Credit: @nick44james

In other news: ‘More like it’, ‘Best CV’ – Many Villa fans want boss who shares agency with Traore after links. 

Liverpool are reportedly interested in signing Wolves striker Hwang Hee-chan, with Manchester City also thought to be keen on a move for the South Korea international.

The Lowdown: Hwang excels on loan

The 25-year-old moved to Molineux in the summer transfer window, joining on loan from RB Leipzig in order to earn more playing time.

Hwang has taken to the Premier League with ease, scoring four goals in six starts and forging a strong partnership with Raul Jimenez, as well as being hailed as a ‘top player’ by his manager Bruno Lage.

While Wolves are clearly keen to make his temporary move a permanent one, Liverpool may have something to say about that.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375258″]

The Latest: Liverpool eye up move

According to The Mirror, the Reds and Man City are both interested in acquiring the 41-cap South Korea international’s signature.

Both clubs are reported to have watched him in action ‘several times’ and see him as someone who can provide an extra attacking option in their respective squads.

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The Verdict: Perfect squad player

Hwang is the perfect type of signing for Liverpool – another attacking option to ease the workload of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota, particularly with injury concerns over both Mane and Firmino.

Not only is the Korean proving to be a guaranteed scorer of goals in the Premier League, he also possesses a strong work ethic, averaging one tackle and 1.5 fouls per game in the top flight this season. It should also not be forgotten that Hwang scored one goal and set up another for Salzburg against Jurgen Klopp’s side back in 2019/20, with Liverpool eventually winning 4-3 at Anfield in a thrilling Champions League clash.

The Merseysiders’ failure to sign an extra attacker felt problematic in the summer, but if the Reds could potentially sign Hwang in January, it could solve that issue and give Klopp’s squad another Premier League-proven goalscorer.

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has provided a key update on one rumoured Liverpool target. Read more here.

Cricket South Africa has named a 15-member Under-19 squad for the tri-series against India and Sri Lanka, as well as the youth World Cup in New Zealand next year.

Cricinfo staff17-Dec-2009Cricket South Africa (CSA) has announced a 15-member Under-19 squad for the triangular series against India and Sri Lanka, as well as the ICC U-19 World Cup to be held in New Zealand in January 2010.Northern’s wicketkeeper batsman, Joshua Richards will captain the squad, which also includes run-machine, Colin Ackerman. Richards previously led the SA U-19 Invitational XI against England U-19 in January and is solid behind the stumps. Ackerman was the leading run-scorer in the CSA U-19 three-day competition, where he averaged 200 with two centuries.Announcing the team in Benoni, the U-19 convener of selectors Shafiek Abrahams expressed confidence in the selected squad. “I am very excited with the squad that we have selected and I am confident that they will do the country proud,” he said.South Africa U-19 Sqaud: Joshua Richards (Northerns, Captain), Samuel Mofokeng (Northerns), David White (EP), Colin Ackerman (EP), Matthew Kennedy, (EP), Simon Khomari (FS), Stephan Smit (FS), Bokang Mosena (FS), Dale Deeb (Gauteng), Graham Hume (Gauteng), Malcolm Nofal (Gauteng), Dominic Hendricks (Gauteng), Cody Chetty (KwaZulu-Natal), Rabian Engelbrecht (Boland), Jerry Ngolo (Border).

Glamorgan extended the leadership team of captain Jamie Dalrymple and coach Matthew Maynard, handing them two-year contracts which will keep them at the club until the end of 2011.

Cricinfo staff07-Dec-2009Glamorgan extended the leadership team of captain Jamie Dalrymple and coach Matthew Maynard, giving them two-year contracts which will keep them at the club until the end of 2011.Glamorgan had an improved season in 2009, finishing fifth in Division Two of the Championship. Their two wins, two defeats and 12 draws was welcome progress after a difficult season in 2008 when they finished second from bottom, losing five matches.Maynard, who was England’s batting coach between 2004 and 2007, returned to his former county Glamorgan as head coach in 2008 and despite a challenging first season in charge is confident that the club is improving.”We made headway last summer and I am delighted that Jamie Dalrymple will continue his role of club captain. Jamie is a tremendous leader and will undoubtedly play a key role in helping us achieve our goals next summer.”Dalrymple, who took the captaincy reins at the beginning of the season, also feels the side is moving in the right direction. “Last season showed that we have become more difficult to beat in four-day cricket and from a poor start, our performances in one-day cricket improved. We still have some way to go, but I am confident that we now have the right team in place to help us reach our goals next year.”

As per Calciomercato, there has been a fresh update on the future of Cagliari star Nahitan Nandez and it involves Tottenham Hotspur.

The Lowdown: Spurs make Nandez approach…

Over the summer window, the midfielder was earmarked as one of managing director Fabio Paratici’s transfer targets for Tottenham.

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Indeed, reliable sources like Sky Sports backed an approach from Spurs to sign the Uruguay international, with a summit between the club and player later confirmed.

Back in September, Cagliari’s sporting director Stefano Capozucca announced that Nandez had ‘meetings with Tottenham, Inter, Naples and Rome’, but the player couldn’t secure a move away (L’Unione Sarda via Calciomercato).

As the 25-year-old and his agent Pablo Betancur seek to finally seal an exit from the Sardegna Arena in January, there has been an update on Spurs’ pursuit.

The Latest: Spurs in the hunt…

As per Calciomercato, Tottenham are still very much in the race and pose as the most likely suitors outside of Serie A, with Napoli and Inter also remaining interested.

The Italian source also reiterates a message from Nandez’ representative in the form of a ‘discount’ for interested clubs.

As per agent Betancur, Cagliari president Tommaso Giulini has ‘promised’ to do ‘everything possible’ to facilitate Nandez’ mid-season exit, apparently ‘giving his word’ that he will ‘lower the price’ on his €36m (£30m) release clause.

The Verdict: Time to take advantage…

After Tottenham announced pre-tax losses of £80.2m for the latest financial year, with club debt now increasing to £706m (The Guardian), the club must take advantage of any bargain deals available.

Nandez certainly represents value for money if Spurs can secure him for a discounted fee, especially going by his versatility and ability to plug many gaping holes in Antonio Conte’s squad.

The South American can play as a central midfielder, right wing-back and as a traditional winger (Sky Sports), while there has been no shortage of praise for him.

Serie A journalist Mina Rzouki called Nandez ‘unstoppable’ for his performances over the back end of last campaign, whilst fellow Italian top-flight expert Conor Clancy dubbed him a ‘machine’ (This Is Futbol).

The 25-year-old could be a more than ideal signing for Spurs as Conte seeks to usher in a brand new era.

In other news: ‘Coming from Tottenham’ – Journalist makes exciting transfer claim with big offer on the table, find out more here.

Cricket Ireland has announced its squads for the Intercontinental Cup clash with Afghanistan and the ICC World Twenty20 qualifiers in UAE

Cricinfo staff06-Jan-2010Cricket Ireland has announced its squads for the Intercontinental Cup clash with Afghanistan and the ICC World Twenty20 qualifiers in UAE.Thirteen players have been selected for the match against Afghanistan, which will be held in Sri Lanka because of security issues, and it will be supplemented by two players from the Under-19 squad.”We reached the Super Eight phase of the last tournament in England, and I know just how much myself and the players want a chance to repeat that in the West Indies,” coach Phil Simmons said. “It won’t be easy with just two qualifying from eight teams, but I’m confident we have the players to do it.”Ireland squad William Porterfield (capt), Andre Botha, Peter Connell, Alex Cusack, Phil Eaglestone, Trent Johnston, Gary Kidd, John Mooney, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Boyd Rankin, Andrew White, Gary Wilson.George Dockrell and Paul Stirling will join the squad for the ICC World Cup Qualifiers.