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England face an anxious wait to see if Stuart Broad and Graham Onions will be fit for the Test series against Bangladesh although were boosted when scans showed no major back problems in the two pacemen. They are hopeful the pair will be available for the first Test against Bangladesh on March 12 although neither will play the warm-up match starting on Sunday.England’s pace attack has been hit by a spate of injuries with Ryan Sidebottom ruled out of the Test series after aggravating a thigh problem during the first ODI, while Broad picked up his back problem during the second match and Onions has been struggling since arriving for the Tests.”Both players have back spasms as a result of bowling. MRI scans have ruled out any new acute injuries,” said an ECB statement. “Neither will be available for the warm-up game. Both will continue to undergo a programme of rehabilitation with a view to being available for the first Test.”Although the fears of both being sent home have receded for now it is hardly the perfect preparation for a Test series, especially with England already without James Anderson for this tour.”It’s obviously not ideal,” said Alastair Cook. “There is good news today with the scan showing no major structural damage, but we all know that backs with bowlers are very important, so we’ve got to work hard on those guys and keep our fingers crossed.”We can only let the back spasms settle, and hopefully they can be fit. Ideally they’d need some overs under their belt in the three-day game, but we can’t have that so we have to wait and see and play it by ear.”Tim Bresnan, who claimed a career-best 4 for 28 in the final ODI, will remain on the tour as a replacement for Sidebottom and was England’s stand-out quick during the one-day series.”Bres was fantastic,” said Cook. “All his overs were in the tough Powerplays, he stood up to be counted, as he has done in the last three games, and he thoroughly deserves his call-up to the Test team. He knows where it’s going, he’s very confident, talking to him in the Powerplays, he’s setting the fields and bowling to those fields which takes a huge lot of skill. He’s putting his name forward.”Meanwhile, Steven Finn, the uncapped Middlesex quick, has been called up as cover for Broad and Onions. Ajmal Shahzad and Liam Plunkett are the other squad pacemen and both played the one-dayer in Chittagong with Shahzad taking a wicket with his third ball.

A number of Crystal Palace fans were critical of James Tomkins’ performance in their 3-0 defeat at Tottenham this afternoon.

The Eagles weren’t helped by a first half red card for Wilfried Zaha and trailed 2-0 at the interval, with Heung-min Son adding a third later in the match as the home side ran out comprehensive winners.

Tomkins partnered Joachim Andersen at the heart of the Palace defence but he did not enjoy his afternoon at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. As per SofaScore, he lost 50% of his duels and failed to make a tackle or interception, while also contributing little on the ball, with a lack of key passes.

Some Palace supporters pointed the finger at him and Andersen over the two Spurs goals, while the 32-year-old also received a yellow card for his troubles when he was booked just before the interval for a cynical foul on Oliver Skipp.

Palace fans slam Tomkins

These Eagles fans took to Twitter to slam Tomkins, who one supporter accused of having a “woeful” game.

“Tomkins and Anderson can’t play together. Both too immobile. Titanic turned quicker. Get Guehi on early.”

Credit: @DanneaWright

“We all blaming Wilf for the fact we going to lose the game not Ward and Tomkins for being woeful for the goals? It’s ok, I see the agenda”

Credit: @Gibbo911

“Tomkins is simply not good enough.”

Credit: @bilbaorich

“Stinker from Tomkins”

Credit: @CPFCMax2

“Andersen and Tomkins are like dumb and dumber at the back man, what have I just witnessed”

Credit: @JoeRitc27121026

“Never wanna see Tomkins play again btw”

Credit: @Mark_CPFC

A commendable performance with the bat, followed by an inspired opening burst wasn’t enough for Bangladesh to pull off a surprise win against India at the Shere Bangla National Stadium

The Bulletin by Kanishkaa Balachandran07-Jan-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outAlthough MS Dhoni emerged the top scorer with 101, it was Virat Kohli at the forefront in the stand of 154 for the fourth wicket•Associated Press

A commendable performance with the bat, followed by an inspired opening burst wasn’t enough for Bangladesh to pull off a surprise win against India at the Shere Bangla Stadium. The Indian middle order, led by Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, kept the hopes of the expectant crowd at bay with an ice-cool stand under pressure. For a while in the beginning of the chase, it seemed as if Shakib Al Hasan’s decision at the toss would be vindicated, but the hard realisation hit home that even 296 wasn’t enough to counter an in-form batting unit and a familiar foe called dew.It undid all the hard work by a trio of half-centuries by Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes and Mahmudullah. Bangladesh posted their highest ODI total against a major Test playing country, surpassing their 285 against Pakistan. With India in trouble at 51 for 3, there was hope for Bangladesh. Shakib got his strategy right by unleashing his slow bowlers early and India had to sweat it out before they found their feet.Abdur Razzak and Syed Rasel opened the bowling and kept the pressure by attacking the stumps. But it was a combination of casual running and purposeful fielding which led to Virender Sehwag’s run-out, off a direct hit by the bowler Razzak. Sehwag failed to dive but he knew he was gone before the third umpire adjudicated. Gautam Gambhir dragged one on to his stumps and Yuvraj Singh played inside the line and lost his off stump to Rasel.The match then turned when Dhoni and Kohli collaborated. Although Dhoni emerged the top scorer with 101, it was Kohli at the forefront in the stand of 154 for the fourth wicket. He displayed the kind of attitude and application one would associate with Rahul Dravid – cool under pressure, prepared to wait for the loose deliveries, push the singles and not get too bogged down if the boundaries aren’t coming.They struggled initially, hitting the ball straight to the fielders but later started to find the gaps. Two early boundaries off Abdur Razzak got Kohli going and he showed his strengths on both sides of the wicket , sweeping the spinners, cutting square and pulling whenever they dropped it short. The pressure began to tell on Bangladesh with a couple of misfields at the boundary – one by Tamim and the other by Razzak – was just what India needed. Kohli knocked it around and reached a valuable fifty.As the dew worsened, the spinners were forced to bowl it flat and that gave the batting pair an opening as they kept the scoreboard ticking, without ever lagging far behind the required rate. Their stand featured 36 runs off boundaries, indicative of the number of singles and twos they picked up. The field was spread out and Bangladesh started going through the motions. They fluffed the only chance which came their way – a return catch put down off Dhoni by Shakib. At that stage, he was on 61.Kohli started cramping up and called for a runner (Gambhir). However, he fell nine short of a century when he spooned one back to Shakib, this time hanging on to the catch. But the spinners failed to spark a collapse. Dhoni was quick to pounce on anything short and regularly rocked back to club it past midwicket. Suresh Raina joined him to finish the game comfortably with 15 balls to spare.The defeat masked a sound batting performance by Bangladesh. Tamim batted with supreme confidence for an exciting 60 while Imrul played the supporting role, looking to occupy the crease and build partnerships. India clawed back during the middle overs before Mahmudullah scripted an attacking fifty during the batting Powerplay.Tamim and Kayes added 80 in 11 overs on a sun-baked pitch which had no pace or movement for the seamers. Tamim played some enterprising shots on the on side, forcing Dhoni to get proactive with his field placings. His fifty came off 33 balls, the fastest by a Bangladesh batsman against India. Unfortunately, the entertainment ended when he tried to pull Sreesanth and found Gautam Gambhir at short midwicket. Kayes wasn’t as flamboyant, but proved just as threatening. He preferred to stay at the crease and play his shots, grafting against the spinners and pushing the singles. He wasn’t afraid to sweep Harbhajan Singh against the turn from round the wicket, and found the gaps at fine leg and deep square leg.Bangladesh lost their way a bit after they lost Mohammad Ashraful and then Shakib for a duck. That was followed by another period of consolidation, between Raqibul Hasan and Mahmudullah who added 32 in 6.2 overs. Mahmudullah was scoreless for 11 deliveries but opened up with a sweep for four off Yuvraj. He was setting himself up for the batting Powerplay, which was delayed till the last five overs. Like in their opening game against Sri Lanka, the home fans were treated to another final-over flourish, this time by Mahmudullah. Three consecutive boundaries in the over, off Sreesanth, helped Bangladesh surge to 296. There was hope from the stands for another couple of hours before it all vanished.

Stuart Dallas stole the show at Elland Road on Tuesday night as Leeds United picked up a long-awaited victory in the Premier League.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side narrowly defeated Crystal Palace thanks to a last-minute penalty from Brazilian winger Raphinha but it wasn’t the exciting dynamo who excelled most up in west Yorkshire.

It was the £12.5m-rated Northern Irish utility man – dubbed the Cookstown Cafu – who looked ever so impressive filling in at right-back in the continued absence of vice-captain Luke Ayling, contributing at either end of the pitch and having a major impact under the Argentine.

The £53k-per-week gem has played no fewer than six different roles for the Whites this campaign and this midweek display was another reminder of just how vital he is to have around.

As per SofaScore, Dallas registered a match-high six tackles and also contributed in abundance defensively, with a team-most three interceptions and two blocks, whilst he even won a total of seven duels.

This level of performance meant that Wilfried Zaha and Odsonne Edouard had very little to say on his side and as such, they could not affect the game for Patrick Vieira’s visiting cast.

His influence wasn’t just in their own half, however, as the 30-year-old got up and down the wing to great effect, managing to deliver two accurate crosses, on top of creating one key chance and having 62 touches of the ball – the fourth-most of any Leeds player.

Dallas’ display earned high praise from those that witnessed him in action – for instance, TEAMtalk editor James Marshment claimed he “led the fight from the back” and was “immense”, whilst LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross graded him amongst United’s star performers.

Of course, Raphinha will take plenty of the plaudits but overall, his display was way off his usual standard as he lost possession a whopping 31 times – nearly double any other Leeds player – and made just one cross from eight attempts, per SofaScore.

“Not quite at his sparkling best,” is how Cross described it after full-time.

So forget the 22-year-old, it was Dallas’ night at Elland Road.

AND in other news, Bielsa can unearth Leeds’ next Phillips in 18 y/o “big prospect”, fans must be excited…

Lions opening batsman Stephen Cook has entered the record books after he made 390, the highest score in the history of South African first-class cricket, against Warriors in East London. Cook, whose score is the twelfth-highest overall in first-class cricket, overtook Daryl Cullinan’s unbeaten 337 for Transvaal against Northern Transvaal in Johannesburg 1993-94. Cook’s father Jimmy Cook had made 313 not out for Somerset against Glamorgan in Cardiff in 1990, and the pair are the first father and son to make triple-centuries in first-class cricket.Cook’s 390, laced with 53 fours and a six, came off 648 balls and in 838 minutes. In terms of time spent at the crease, his innings ranks as the fourth-longest in all first-class cricket. The game, though, was a high-scoring draw. Warriors, led by Ashwell Prince’s 154, posted 542, and Lions bettered that effort, drawing the match to a close at 690 for 9. Cook, who was trapped in front by Johan Botha, was involved in another record. He added 365 for the sixth wicket with wicketkeeper Thami Tsolekile, playing in his 100th first-class game; the stand is the highest for that wicket in first-class cricket in South Africa.Cook, 26, has played 76 first-class games, averaging 39.51 with 14 centuries and 20 fifties. His father, Jimmy, said: “Stephen recently told me he was playing the best cricket of his life so I told him to go out and make it count and he certainly did that. Naturally I am delighted and proud.”

Pakistan’s Aleem Dar, who was named Umpire of the Year at the ICC Awards, has credited a very high standard as the reason for his success. It was the first time he had received an ICC award, and in an interview with Pakistan daily , Dar said it was a great honour for his country.”What I’m today is because of the country I love and represent. I feel very proud to be a Pakistani at this moment. It’s a just reward for all the hard work put into the job.”Dar said not letting pressure affect him was an essential factor in his success as in international umpire. “As a person, I try to remain as calm as possible while making sure I’m not ruffled by anything on the field. As an umpire, it’s imperative that you concentrate hard all the time and stay cool as well. That way, one tends to make lesser mistakes than others.”It’s not an easy job [umpiring] in this modern age where technology checks your progress all the way through television replays from various angles. It’s not humanly possible not to commit errors here and there. However at least one should try to learn from this and try not to repeat the same [mistakes] again.”Dar, who has officiated in 57 Tests and 119 one-day internationals, rued the fact that he had not been able to stand in a Test played by Pakistan. “It’s something I miss but that is obviously beyond me because of the ICC policy of having ‘third country’ umpires officiating in a Test between two particular countries,” he said. “Had I become an international umpire in the 1990s or even the early period of this decade, I might have stood in some of the Tests played by Pakistan.”Reflecting on the 2007 World Cup final in Barbados, Dar said it was “a bleak moment” for all the match officials involved but that it was “something not committed intentionally”. The ICC banned the five match officials whose combined errors caused the game to be completed amid farcical scenes of near-darkness.

Sheffield Wednesday had to settle for a 2-2 draw with Cheltenham Town on Saturday after conceding a stoppage-time equaliser.

The Owls seemed to have done enough to take all three points after Cheyenne Dunkley and a Matty Blair own goal turned things around for the visitors, but Blair redeemed himself by grabbing a goal at the right end for a share of the spoils for the Robins.

The result means it is now four draws in a row for Wednesday, with a number of their fans discussing Moore’s change at the interval.

The Owls manager set his team up in a 3-4-1-2 system against Cheltenham and brought off defender Jack Hunt for centre-forward Florian Kamberi at the interval. That saw regular forward Callum Paterson filling in at right wing-back, according to Yorkshire Live’s Dom Howson, with many Wednesday supporters not exactly thrilled over the tactical switch.

Moore admitted after the game that Hunt was fine and that he wanted to make an attacking change for the start of the second half.

Wednesday fans react

Here is what these Wednesday fans had to say in reply to Howson’s tweet regarding the half-time substitution, with a number of supporters unimpressed at Moore moving players out of position as they blasted the already under-fire manager.

“Paterson to what…???!!??? Don’t want to jump on bandwagons but, I’m sorry, Darren’s done.”

Credit: @NeonBrown10

“What a joke of a formation. I don’t understand why we consistently play people out of position, it’s becoming a joke”

Credit: @RichOverett

“Surely not? When in doubt move someone else out of position?”

Credit: @PeterBu1981

“Bizarre”

Credit: @AnOwlTweets

“Wow”

Credit: @gaz_s6

“he’s lost the plot..”

Credit: @chrisday3107

Andrew Hilditch’s future with Cricket Australia could be determined next month, with moves afoot to create a position for a full-time selector on the national panel

Alex Brown26-Aug-2009Andrew Hilditch’s future with Cricket Australia (CA) could be determined next month, with moves afoot to create a position for a full-time selector on the national panel. Hilditch, who runs a law firm in Adelaide in addition to his role as chairman of selectors, is tipped to relinquish his cricketing duties if his role is upgraded to full-time. However, CA is also considering the possibility of employing one of the remaining three selectors in a permanent capacity; a move that would allow Hilditch to continue to chair the panel part-time.The uncertainty surrounding Hilditch’s future comes as part of a planned overhaul of Australia’s selection process recommended by an internal Player Pathway Review Committee, as revealed by Cricinfo in May. The committee has recommended a five-point plan to professionalise the selection process, including the appointment of a “talent manager/selector” in each state to report to the four-man national panel. The recommendations pre-date Australia’s Ashes defeat, however given the current zeitgeist, and with a meeting of the CA board and an annual general meeting scheduled for September, it is anticipated the proposed changes will be in effect before the next Australian summer.Calls for a selection overhaul in the wake of Australia’s defeat at The Oval have been vociferous. But CA sources insist that changes, if they are made, will not be in response to the underwhelming performances of the national team. Rumours are already circulating that Hilditch and one other selector will stand down from their posts in the coming months, although a CA spokesman last night insisted no decision had been made.James Sutherland this week spoke out in defence of Hilditch and his panel, despite the general acknowledgment that their decision to omit Nathan Hauritz for the Ashes decider on a turning pitch was flawed. Hilditch admitted the error in a press conference immediately after Australia’s 2-1 defeat, but gave no indication he would step down from his position with the national panel.Speaking to Cricinfo prior to the first Test, Hilditch hinted that his future with CA would be determined by whether his view is determined to be full-time in the future. Should one of the remaining three selectors be upgraded to full-time status, Hilditch is likely to continue chairing the panel.”There are lots of recommendations, all of which I’m fully in support of,” Hilditch said of the pathways document. “The one that seems to be highlighted is are we going to have a full-time selector or a full-time chairman, but the more important part of the review was what we should be doing at state level, Australia A and future tours. I’ll be interested to see where it goes.”I’ve done most of my time voluntarily and I enjoyed that process. It’s wonderful to be able to do those sort of things. If it continues that’s great, because I’m very fortunate, but I’ll see what happens. Unfortunately there’s some perception at the moment that I should have been at the first (Ashes warm-up) game, but that’s got nothing to do with whether I’m a full-time chairman. If there’s a fulltime selector he’s not going to be at every game.”CA’s directors have already endorsed the recommendations of the Player Pathway Review Committee “subject to the CA Board approving the 2009-10 budget.” The review also recommended a refocussing of “state cricket to produce Australian players” and a restructuring of both men’s and women’s pathway programmes.

A convincing win for Western Province takes them above KwaZulu-Natal after the first round of the SuperSport Super Sixes. Elsewhere there was a century in each innings for Graham Grace, but they were in vain as a captain’s innings from Dale Benkenstein took KwaZulu-Natal home:Super Sixes – 4th dayWestern Province 554 for 2 dec beat Griqualand West 185 and 183 (Hector 70, Friend 5-34, Dawson 4-37) by an innings and 186 runs
ScorecardWestern Province made light of the absence of five Test players to jump to the top of the table. Their mammoth first-innings score did the trick at Newlands: today it took them only 17.4 overs to reduce Griqualand West from their overnight 128 for 2 to 183 all out. Griquas were soon in trouble when Benjamin Hector went for 70, after nearly two hours at the crease. Quentin Friend wrapped up the innings to end with 5 for 34, while Alan Dawson took his tally for the match to 10 with 4 for 37, which included his 250th wicket in first-class cricket. WP lost just two wickets in winning the match – it was only the sixth time that any side had won a domestic match in South Africa while losing either one or two wickets, and the first since Transvaal (325 for 1 dec) beat Northern Transvaal (97 and 173) by an> innings and 55 runs at Pretoria in 1980-81.KwaZulu-Natal 227 and 273 for 5 (Benkenstein 102*) beat North West 255 and 242 for 7 dec (Grace 102*, Moleon 66*) by 5 wickets
ScorecardAt Kingsmead Graham Grace added an unbeaten 102 to his first-innings century, the 19th time a batsman has scored twin centuries in South African first-class cricket. He spent seven hours at the crease, and his eighth-wicket partnership of 120 with Eugene Moleon – whose 66 not out was a career-best – enabled North West to make a sporting declaration, setting KwaZulu-Natal 271 in 51 overs. Knowing that Western Province had already overhauled them, Natal took up the challenge and raced to 50 inside eight overs. The rate dropped when three quick wickets tumbled, but Dale Benkenstein played the perfect captain’s innings with a near-run-a-ball 102 that took his side to victory with 11 balls to spare. Duncan Brown finished it off with a huge six over long-on, off Garth Roe.Shield – 3rd dayEasterns 515 for 7 dec lead Eastern Province 358 for 8 (Bradfield 123*, Wingfield 88) by 157 runs
ScorecardEastern Province’s first target today was to avoid the follow-on, and it is still a close-run thing. The batsmen’s paradise at St George’s Park produced another century – the third of the match – as Carl Bradfield stroked 18 fours in his 123. Wade Wingfield then took over, and his 88 took EP to the brink of the follow-on target. When bad light stopped play early they were eight runs short, with two wickets left.Gauteng 194 for 5 dec (Bacher 89, Ackerman 56*) lead Northerns 22 for 2 by 172 runs
ScorecardAfter two complete washouts play finally got under way at SuperSport Park on the third morning. Northerns won the toss and put Gauteng in. It seemed that bonus points from the first 100 overs of the first innings were all that was left to play for. Adam Bacher continued his recent good form, scoring a patient 89, while HD Ackerman compiled a useful undefeated 56 to take Gauteng to 194 for 5 before, after 73 overs, bad light interrupted play. On resumption Ackerman sprang a surprise by declaring, and was rewarded with two quick wickets before the light closed in again.

Leeds United continued their poor start to the Premier League season as they lost 1-0 to Southampton at St. Mary’s, leaving them 17th in the table.

One team enduring a worse campaign, however, is newly-promoted Norwich. The Canaries are rooted to the bottom of the league and held Brighton to a 0-0 draw on Saturday.

Interestingly, though, a Leeds transfer target was involved in a slight controversy, as Todd Cantwell was omitted from the matchday squad despite being available for selection after time out due to personal reasons.

Norwich manager Daniel Farke insisted that his lack of involvement was purely down to Kieran Dowell’s form in training, although the ex-Everton man was then an unused substitute. He said:

“It was not a decision against Todd. It was more about Kieran, who was always available during this period. He trains unbelievably hard and in an outstanding way.

“Todd missed many weeks and was only back in team training at the start of the week. For each and every player who comes back after missing a period of training they have to show consistency in how they train to be picked ahead of a different player.”

With Cantwell’s contract expiring at the end of the season, this potential friction at Carrow Road could allow Leeds to swoop in and secure a deal in the January transfer window. Norwich have the option to extend his terms for another year, which means that it is unlikely Leeds will be able to sign him for nothing, but the next window could represent their best chance to rake in a large fee for the attacker.

If the Canaries wait until next summer to cash in then he will only have 12 months left on his contract and could be forced to sell for a minimal fee. Therefore, Leeds could tempt them into selling him in January for a deal that would suit all parties involved, with the Whites not overpaying for his services and Norwich not losing him for next to nothing.

His former Norwich youth team coach, Gary Cockaday, hailed his talents in an eye-catching way. He told The Athletic: 

“He did things every week that were just special. It was God-given. No one taught it. I always believed if you had someone like that, don’t change them or make them conform.”

Orta must ensure that he can get a deal over the line for the midfielder as he could forge an exciting partnership with current first-team star Raphinha.

The Brazilian loves to get fans off their seats at Elland Road, with nine goals and nine assists in the top-flight since the start of last season. Cantwell was directly involved in 12 goals in the Championship last term and managed six strikes and two assists in the Premier League the year before.

This shows that, like Raphinha, the Englishman has the ability to score and create goals from an attacking midfield position. Therefore, they could form a deadly attack for Leeds by linking up together to open up chances for themselves to score, weaving inside and out of opposition defenders.

Imagine Cantwell and Raphinha playing one-twos on the edge of the box to work room for a shot or to feed the ball to Patrick Bamford for him to score…tantalising!

AND in other news, Concerning injury update emerges on £35k-p/w Leeds powerhouse, fans surely devastated…