All posts by h716a5.icu

Andrew Flintoff’s immediate future should become clearer on Friday with the ECB expected to make an announcement over his rehabilitation from the hip injury that ruled him out of the fourth Test in Barbados

Andrew McGlashan in Barbados26-Feb-2009
A half-fit Andrew Flintoff cut a disconsolate figure in the third Test last week © Getty Images
Andrew Flintoff’s immediate future should become clearer on Friday with the ECB expected to make an announcement over his rehabilitation from the hip injury that ruled him out of the fourth Test in Barbados.He was at the Kensington Oval on the opening day of the game to receive further treatment on the problem he picked up in Antigua. The fact that more information is set to be released mid-way through this game suggests that it won’t be positive news.”Obviously he is continuing his rehabilitation and I think there will be some news on him later,” Andrew Strauss said, “in terms of what his best plan is, rehab wise.”There are various scenarios that could be explored, including sending him home for a short period to try and recover for the one-day series which starts on March 20. However, the decision may be taken to rule him out of the rest of the tour so he can recover in time for the home season.One other factor to take into consideration is the IPL, in which Flintoff is due to play for three weeks as part of the Chennai Super Kings. Earlier this week he said he was confident about his fitness for that stint.”I don’t think it will be touch and go,” he said. “The IPL’s still a while away so for all intents and purposes I’ll be fit for that. I’m intending to go but it’s not really at the forefront of my thinking. I want to play Test cricket and I want to play the one-day internationals.”I’m not in the Barbados Test and there’s a chance I’ll play in Trinidad but I’ll have to see how it settles down. We’ll see how the next week goes. If we’ve got to get it rescanned, we’ll see what happens. If I’m being honest I don’t know.”

United Arab Emirates (UAE) captain Khurram Khan believes the time is right for cricket in the Emirates to make a long-awaited comeback from the heights it attained by reaching the 1996 World Cup in the subcontinent

Cricinfo staff20-Mar-2009United Arab Emirates (UAE) captain Khurram Khan believes the time is right for cricket in the Emirates to make a long-awaited comeback from the heights it attained when they made it to the 1996 World Cup in the subcontinent.Khurram, the 37-year-old allrounder, said preparations were “going well” for the World Cup Qualifier (WCQs) in South Africa from April 1-19. “We started a couple of months ago with our new coach (former Sussex and England batsman) Colin Wells and the guys are shaping up very well. We have some new players, some youngsters in the team so it looks good for the future as well but we are ready now,” he said.Asked about their aspirations going into the big event, considering the relative strength of some of the other competing teams, Khurram said, “Our goal is to qualify for the World Cup. We have played against some of the teams such as Ireland, Scotland, Netherlands and others – they are very good teams but we are going well.”We have played some practice matches and we are also involved in the Emirates Airline Pro Arch Trophy against six English county teams taking place in the UAE. I’m sure the other teams are working hard but our preparations are going well too.”Khurram also said the sport should continue to be promoted in the UAE. “I think cricket will grow in the UAE, especially if we qualify for the World Cup. The ICC moving here is also a boost for cricket in the UAE as is the completion of the cricket stadium in Dubai Sports City and the ICC Global Cricket Academy. So cricket is developing here day by day.”Cricket has a huge following in the UAE especially if you take the big expatriate populations from places like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. For locals it’s not the No. 1 sport but there are many local people who play the game and that number is increasing,” he said.UAE are in Group B which includes Bermuda, Kenya, Netherlands, Afghanistan, and Denmark and they open their campaign against Bermauda in Potchefstroom on April 1.They qualified for the 1996 edition after winning the ICC Trophy (as it was then known) in 1993-94, defeating Kenya in the final. There was plenty of drama in the last qualifiers, when they narrowly missed out on making it to the 2007 tournament in West Indies when the lost to Netherlands in the fifth-sixth playoff match, thereby missing out on the last qualification spot.

West Ham star Michail Antonio has been announced as the Premier League’s Player of the Month for August.

And, as to be expected, a number of Hammers fans were quick to flock to the update on social media.

Antonio beat teammate Said Benrahma, Chelsea left-back Marcos Alonso, Tottenham Hotspur defender Eric Dier, Everton winger Demarai Gray and Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood to win the award.

The £70,000-a-week forward has been in fine form in the opening three games of the campaign, scoring four times and registering three assists.

The 31-year-old managed to both score and provide an assist in all three games against Newcastle, Leicester and Crystal Palace respectively, and his impressive displays have earned him a second Premier League Player of the Month award in as many seasons.

Antonio also became West Ham’s all-time Premier League goalscorer last month and reached 50 top-flight goals for the Hammers with his goal against Palace.

Hammers fans react

West Ham shared the news regarding Antonio on their official Twitter page on Friday morning. This is what these Hammers fans had to say in reply, with many delighted.

“LETS GOOOOO”

Credit: @Vlasic_Szn

“We are massive”

Credit: @jasperhowlett03

“FULLY deserved, so happy. my number 9”

Credit: @BenChillingwor2

“Get in!”

Credit: @nickonion

“MY GOAT”

Credit: @lengwesthamfan

“Absolute standout choice. Fully deserved. His influence on the team goes way beyond the things measured by the core stats – 4 goals & 3 assists – it’s the work rate, the chasing balls, closing defenders, running channels. He makes us tick ”

Credit: @damienlucas

In other news: Many West Ham fans love what Rice did to Spurs and Chelsea fans. 

Many Rangers fans have reacted to an image of defender Connor Goldson training before tonight’s Europa League clash with Lyon.

The 28-year-old missed Saturday’s 2-1 away win at St Johnstone after self-isolating, but he could return for the Gers’ Europa League opener with French side Lyon.

Goldson has made 171 appearances for the Premiership champions since his move from Brighton in 2018, including a massive 56 showings coming in last season’s campaign, with the defender also scoring eight goals.

The official Rangers Twitter account tweeted an image of the defender participating in training prior to tonight’s match, with the caption reading, ‘Goldson back in action’.

Filip Helander partnered Leon Balogun in Saturday’s victory, but the Swedish defender himself sustained a knee injury in the victory and is now out for the ‘foreseeable future’.

Having Goldson back for the visit of Lyon will lift the spirits amongst the supporters and is massive for the squad depth, as there are still five games to come in the month of September alone.

Rangers fans ecstatic with training image

These Rangers fans have taken to Twitter to react to the teasing image ahead of tonight’s game.

“What we have all been wanting to see!!!!!”

Credit: @alfie_west_55

“Announce contract renewal”

Credit: @cameron56689617

“Yaaaaaassssss”

Credit: @ScoobyRobb

“Superb”

Credit: @Kennywspark

“Hallelujah”

Credit: @Aldo7watp

“King”

Credit: @lnheritant

In other news, Noel Whelan rules out exit for Rangers midfielder. Find out more here.

Bermuda coach Gus Logie hopes vice-captain David Hemp’s current form, boosted by a maiden ODI century against Kenya at the World Cup Qualifiers (WCQs), rubs off on the other batsmen in the team

Cricinfo staff08-Apr-2009Bermuda coach Gus Logie hopes vice-captain David Hemp’s current form, boosted by a maiden ODI century against Kenya at the World Cup Qualifiers (WCQs), rubs off on the other batsmen in the team.Though Hemp’s unbeaten 102 could not prevent a seven-wicket victory for Kenya in Potchefstroom on Monday, Bermuda still have a slender chance of making it to the 2011 World Cup, after their maiden appearance in the tournament in 2007.Bermuda’s loss to Kenya, coupled with the United Arab Emirates’ victory over Denmark, has left them in danger of not only being eliminated from the WCQs but losing their ODI status as well. Bermuda need to beat in-form Netherlands in their final game on Wednesday and hope Afghanistan lose to UAE to keep their hopes alive in the tournament.Much of their hopes, Logie feels, depend on Hemp, 38, a former Glamorgan captain with a lot of experience in county cricket. “Congratulations to David for reaching another milestone,” Logie said. “Hopefully, other players will get jealous and follow suit the next game.”Hemp has enjoyed his promotion to the opening slot in Bermuda’s last two matches, after false starts in the first two. An unbeaten 76 in a nine-wicket victory against Denmark over the weekend, the precursor to his century, augurs well for Bermuda as they look to make a late charge towards the Super Eight stage.”I was obviously pleased but unfortunately it just wasn’t to be our day,” Hemp said. “Kenya played well. They got in and got a good start and managed to keep scoring.”Hemp added 107 runs with fellow opener Fiqre Crockwell, who chipped in with a fighting 45. “We laid quite a good foundation but we got bogged down when the spinners came on,” Hemp said. “The pitch was a bit damp and it made playing the spin quite difficult. I thought the Kenyan spinners bowled quite well in the middle overs but batting did become a bit easier later on.”

Mohammad Ashraful has said Bangladesh’s main objective is to qualify for the Super Eights

Cricinfo staff31-May-2009Mohammad Ashraful has said Bangladesh’s main objective is to qualify for the Super Eights of the World Twenty20 which begins on June 5. They play their first game on June 6 against India, the current champions, whom they famously beat in the 2007 World Cup.”In this form of the game any side can beat the other,” Ashraful told reporters at Lord’s. “We defeated the West Indies in the last World T20 in South Africa and progressed to the Super Eight. Our main goal is to repeat that and if we beat India, who are the world champions, in the first match then we will fancy our chances of doing well against the top sides and making the semi-finals even.”Barring the upset win over West Indies in the last World Twenty20, Bangladesh had a disappointing tournament, losing their other four games by fairly convincing margins. However, Ashraful, who had a poor run himself, averaging 17.40 in five games, was confident of putting up a better show this time. “We have come here one week early, had three games against New Zealand, Holland and Scotland and the boys have done well,” he said. “We are confident and there are two tough games against Australia tomorrow and Sri Lanka the day after. So that’s a nice build-up to the main tournament.”One of the Bangladesh players who has impressed in the warm-ups has been the seamer, Rubel Hossain. He returned figures of 4 for 19 against Holland, and 5 for 16 against Scotland. “He has taken nine wickets in two matches and is bowling really well. He has an awkward action and has bit of extra pace,” Ashraful said of Rubel.He also backed his deputy Mashrafe Mortaza to come good after a disappointing solitary game in the IPL, where he conceded 58 runs in four overs for Kolkata Knight Riders, including 27 in the decisive final over of the contest. “It was only in the last over that he did badly. Otherwise I thought he was okay. But I know he’ll be back. He is that type of a player. He always does well against India.”Ireland is the other team that Bangladesh must face in the group stage, and having lost to them at the 2007 World Cup they might have reason to be cautious. But Ashfraful was confident of averting a repeat. “I think if we play our best cricket then we should not have a problem against Ireland because we have more quality in the side.”Bangladesh take on Australia in their next warm-up game on Monday.

Issa Diop has now handed David Moyes a massive selection headache at West Ham.

The 24-year-old centre-back has long struggled with consistency at the London Stadium since his then club-record £22m move from Toulouse in June 2018.

Last campaign, he was largely third-choice behind Angelo Ogbonna and Craig Dawson, having played only 18 times in the Premier League, of which just 15 were starts, via Transfermarkt.

His position in the pecking order will have undoubtedly been hampered by the arrival of his fellow Frenchman, Kurt Zouma, this summer and whilst he’s yet to feature in the top-flight this term, he has delivered with solid performances in both the Europa League last week and the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.

It now leaves the Irons boss with plenty to ponder as Diop’s form simply cannot be ignored.

He was colossal in Croatia against reigning champions Dinamo Zagreb despite a serious lack of game time, as outlined by Football FanCast previously, and then at Old Trafford, he was a key cog in keeping United’s frontline quiet all night.

Just days after late heartbreak against the Red Devils in the Premier League, Moyes rotated his squad for the third-round clash and it paid off, with the 6 foot 4 titan putting in another defensive masterclass.

As per SofaScore, Diop was graded as the Hammers’ highest-rated outfield player (7.7) as he recorded a whopping seven clearances, three interceptions, two tackles and one block, whilst he also won 100% of his duels, both on the ground and in the air.

What a display.

He was an absolute rock against the likes of Anthony Martial, Jadon Sancho and last season’s loan hero Jesse Lingard – even when Bruno Fernandes and Mason Greenwood entered the pitch, it didn’t faze the £18m-rated beast.

Diop earned the praise of assistant manager Stuart Pearce, who told reporters (via The Athletic):

“But I thought Diop was absolutely magnificent. The longer the game went on the more of a colossus he looked at the back and he’s still in relative terms, a very young man for a central defender so we’re absolutely delighted to have Issa at this club.”

It comes three years after former Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho dubbed the West Ham star a “monster” for another standout performance at the back.

Moyes now must think about what is best for this Hammers side. You cannot ignore the recent outings from Diop and the potential partnership of the two Frenchman in the heart of their defence must be a rather tempting prospect right now.

Diop must remain when the Irons head to Leeds on Saturday.

AND in other news, 5 tackles, 3 interceptions: £13m-rated West Ham monster stole the show at Old Trafford…

The PCB has asked Mohammad Yousuf to obtain a response from the ICL to his resignation request as it moves forward in a bid to bring back the batsman into the national set-up

Osman Samiuddin20-May-2009The PCB has asked Mohammad Yousuf to obtain a response from the ICL to his resignation request as it moves forward in a bid to bring back the batsman into the national set-up.Yousuf met PCB officials Wasim Bari, Mohammad Naeem and Zakir Khan at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore and told them he had resigned from the ICL. “We met Mohammad Yousuf today and he told us he wants to play for Pakistan and that he has resigned from the ICL,” Bari, PCB’s director HR and administration, told Cricinfo.”He showed us the resignation letter. We have asked him to come back to us with their response, whatever that is,” Bari said. “Once we have something from them, we can move forward. We have to take it step-by-step. He said he would get back to us as soon as possible.”Yousuf told reporters later he was not sure whether he would be able to obtain an NOC from the ICL but wanted to play for Pakistan. But the board did not specify whether they were looking for an NOC specifically, just a response of some kind. That indicates that the door remains open, for now, for the matter to move forward even if Yousuf does not get an NOC. At almost the same time, the ICL released a statement paving the way for certain contracted players to move back into the mainstream. An ICL statement said a few domestic and overseas players had asked to be released to pursue cricket with state or national associations and the league would not stop them from doing so. It is unclear at the moment whether Yousuf is one of those international players.The PCB, in line with boards around the world, recently announced an amnesty for ICL players who gave up their links to the league by May 31. But unlike the BCCI which announced a cooling-off period of a year before ICL players could be eligible for national and international cricket again, the PCB said it would go on a case-by-case basis: some could come back immediately and others after some time. ICL players from Pakistan are already allowed to play domestic cricket.Once the documentation is in, it is believed that Yousuf might be one of those players who comes back sooner rather than later. Pakistan’s batting in ODIs has struggled without his presence, particularly in the recent ODI series against Australia, but Bari would only say that the board would “go by its stated policy. The meeting was a very positive one and we want to take positive steps from here.”Yousuf has left the ICL once before, when he signed with them in 2007, but was lured out of the contract by the then PCB administration. Legal wrangles ensued, which stopped him from getting an IPL contract in 2008. But he played for Pakistan during the year, before suddenly opting to join the ICL again in November, on the day he was picked in an ODI squad to play against West Indies.

Everton travel to Old Trafford today to face Manchester United as they go in search of their fourth win in five Premier League matches.

The Toffees have won three of their last four league games, beating Brighton, Burnley and Norwich, with a defeat to Aston Villa sandwiched in between.

Their last outing was a 2-0 win over the Canaries at Goodison Park last weekend. Andros Townsend ( from the penalty spot) and Abdoulaye Doucoure scored the goals for Rafa Benitez’s side.

How many changes will the Spaniard make to his team? Here is our predicted XI for the match…

We are predicting that he will make three changes from last week, with Anthony Gordon, Tom Davies and Mason Holgate coming in to start.

The first change Benitez could make is in the back four. Ben Godfrey endured a difficult afternoon against his former club last weekend and looked out of his depth at right-back. A centre-back by trade, the England international struggled to get to grips with the match as he failed to make his mark.

As per SofaScore, he made zero tackles, interceptions and blocks, whilst also being dribbled past once. He won only one duel in the entire game and missed a big chance in front of goal. This suggests that he did not have his best game in an Everton shirt and that could convince Benitez to axe him against United, with Mason Holgate – who was on the bench against Norwich – coming in to show what he can do at right-back.

Alex Iwobi is an injury doubt after suffering a knock during the week, which means that his place on the left flank could be available. Anthony Gordon came on against the Canaries last week as a substitute and has made three Premier League cameo appearances this season, but now could be his time to be thrown in from the start.

With Iwobi, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison all potentially out, Gordon may be the only viable option for Benitez to start out wide. This is why we are predicting that he will line up on the left in place of the former Arsenal man, should the latter fail his fitness test.

Finally, we are predicting that Tom Davies will come in for Salomon Rondon. Benitez could look to pack the midfield with three bodies to be solid defensively against the likes of Jadon Sancho, Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes, which means dropping one of the two strikers to play another holding midfielder in Davies.

Demarai Gray has three goals and one assist in six Premier League games this term, whilst Rondon struggled badly against Norwich. The Venezuela forward won just five of 22 duels and gave the ball away eight times from 28 touches, which is why he should be axed from the XI for Davies to come in, with Gray using his pace through the middle to cause problems in behind for United.

AND in other news, “Let the fans down numerous times” – Exclusive: Michael Ball drops major Everton verdict…

Tottenham Hotspur will still be without two first-team players as they return to UEFA Europa Conference League action later this evening…

What’s the word?

Spurs’ form has taken a turn for the worst in recent weeks, losing three straight heavy defeats in the Premier League, whilst they only just salvaged a point against Stade Rennes in their group stage opener two weeks ago.

Nuno Santo will probably be wanting to change things up on the pitch but he’ll be limited in his options as he won’t be able to call upon either Steven Bergwijn or Ryan Sessegnon.

Bergwijn picked up an injury during that clash in France, whilst Sessegnon has been injured since the international break at the start of the month.

“Nothing has changed,” the Portuguese told the club’s official website this week. “Sess and Stevie will not join the group. The rest of the squad is available. We will also bring in some Under-23s to help us, and we go for the game.”

Big setback

This will be hugely frustrating for the 47-year-old and it may leave him a little worried heading into kickoff, even if it is against a team of much lower quality.

Spurs will remember the Dinamo Zagreb clash from last season, which saw the Croatian champions perform a stunning comeback to knock them out of the Europa League, so no team should be taken lightly.

Nuno badly needs to shake things up, so having a player with a point to prove like Sessegnon available would’ve been an interesting option, whilst Bergwijn had started their opening three league games before his injury.

It can’t be that much of a coincidence that the Lilywhites won all three of those games, too.

He is also one of their biggest threats in the final third, having averaged 1.3 key passes and 2.3 shots per game, a feat only bettered by top goalscorer Heung-min Son, as per WhoScored.

Nuno may have to call upon some of the players that have severely let him down in defeats to arch-rivals Arsenal, Chelsea and Crystal Palace in recent weeks.

The Spurs boss is also thought to be under increasing pressure, according to some reports in the press, so it’s crucial that he gets a result and avoids an embarrassing upset against Mura tonight.

Given their recent performances, Nuno may well be gutted to not be able to change his side completely heading into this fixture.

AND in other news, Paratici risking catastrophic Spurs transfer disaster with £40.5m-rated “lightweight”…