Habibul Bashar, the former Bangladesh captain and one of 13 ‘rebel’ players slapped with a ten-year ban for joining the ICL, has said the board’s amnesty offer may force those concerned to think twice

Cricinfo staff10-May-2009

Habibul Bashar, the former Bangladesh captain and one of 13 ‘rebel’ players slapped with a ten-year ban for joining the ICL, has said the board’s amnesty offer may force those concerned to think twice. But Bashar, Bangladesh’s most successful captain and highest run-scorer in Test cricket, was cautious about a swift move back to domestic cricket.”They [the BCB] opened a window of opportunity for us. We can now see some light at the end of the tunnel,” said Bashar. “We want to take the opportunity and play for the national team. If we leave the ICL, we have to sacrifice a lot of things. If we come back, what will we get in return?”The ICL is highly lucrative compared to domestic cricket in Bangladesh.”The BCB, following the lead of the BCCI and the PCB, decided to allow those cricketers who signed up with the ICL to participate in domestic cricket, subject to the termination of their contracts with the unauthorised league by June 15. Bashar felt the decision created an opportunity for the rebel but was uncertain about the chances of it proving beneficial for all concerned.”The most important thing is that after this decision we have got an option to make our comeback in the domestic and international cricket,” he said. “I think the problem will remain because we have to terminate our contract first. Let us see everything before making any final comments.”We had recently met to discuss what would be our approach if the BCB announced amnesty like the Indian board and what we decided is that one can take his own decision. But first of all we have to look at the ICL contract. I know that the contract we have with the ICL is pretty much one-way.”

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has admitted that discussions are already underway in regards to the Hoops’ planning for the January transfer window, as reported by the Daily Record.

The Lowdown: Busy summer…

The 56-year-old worked closely with CEO Dominic McKay during the summer window, bringing in 12 new players to Parkhead.

Three of those came on deadline day in Jota, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Cameron Carter-Vickers, with a number of players also heading out the door.

McKay has also now left his position due to personal reasons, with Michael Nicholson in interim charge, and plans are already in place to bring in more new faces in the New Year.

The Latest: Postecoglou’s comments

Postecoglou was talking to the media, as relayed by the Daily Record, ahead of Sunday’s clash with Aberdeen and spoke about the next transfer window.

He revealed that he would once again look into the market in Japan, describing it as a ‘good time’ due to the J1 League’s end season, saying:

“We know the areas we need to bolster. It’s about getting more players that I believe can play the type of football we want to play.

“There is a mentality attached to that. It’s about the type of personalities who are going to be brave and really ambitious.

“That’s what we’re trying to target. We will definitely be adding something to the squad.

“Japan is one of the markets we’ll be looking at. Obviously I know it really well and they will get to the end of their season, which is a good time if there’s anyone who will fit into our set-up.”

Postecoglou then went on to label the summer window as ‘frantic’ in a possible swipe at former CEO McKay, before revealing that discussions are underway for the winter market.

“We will be looking everywhere. The last window was frantic. This time we want to be planning well in advance.

“We’ve identified targets and begun discussions before we get to January so that we can conclude deals a lot quicker than we did in the previous window.”

The Verdict: Good news

With Celtic yet to replace McKay on a permanent basis, some supporters may have been worrying that plans for new recruitments in 2022 were on the back burner.

However, that is not the case, as confirmed by Postecoglou, and it seems as if he is working with Nicholson in regards to bolstering the squad.

Another shrewd signing similar to Kyogo Furuhashi from the J1 League would be ideal, so hopefully Postecoglou and the Hoops hierarchy can work their magic. At least they appear to be more organised about it now than they were during a “frantic” summer.

In other news: News Celtic and Ange could do without emerges regarding Furuhashi. 

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…

Match facts

May 1, 2009
Start time 3pm (11.00GMT)Pakistan need to provide more support to Shahid Afridi if they are to stay alive in the five-match series•Associated Press

Big Picture

Australia are one win away from wrapping up the series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, but not much talk has centred around the team’s on-field performance. Since the offspinner Saeed Ajmal was reported for a suspect action the sides have been under more intense focus than during the opening three matches.Ajmal was fined by the Pakistan Cricket Board for comments directed to Shane Watson and Younis Khan asked why Australia are involved in so many controversies when they face India and Pakistan. Michael Clarke maintained the series had been played in a good spirit.The talking points will shift to the middle during Friday’s fourth ODI in Abu Dhabi. Australia lead 2-1 in the five-match contest – Pakistan lost 10 for 76 in Monday’s defeat – as they finalise their preparations for the start of their engagements in England in June.

Form guide (last five ODIs, most recent first)

Pakistan LLWLL
Australia WWLWL

Watch out for

Shahid Afridi has been outstanding in the opening three fixtures and remains Australia’s biggest threat. His 10 victims at 10.70 have caused the most problems, but his 71 runs have also been a headache. The worry for Pakistan has been finding people to offer him significant assistance.He hasn’t been as effective as Afridi, but Nathan Hauritz has been a key performer for Australia. Since coming back into the one-day team in January he has 13 wickets in nine games and in this series has five at 18.60 along with an economy rate of 3.57. The prospect of more spinning surfaces in the remaining matches will lift his mood further.

Team news

Brett Lee is in town after joining the squad this week, but he won’t bowl on Friday and is unlikely to be picked until the Twenty20 to end the tour. The rotation of the attack is the main issue for the squad, with Stuart Clark keen for more work and Ben Hilfenhaus, Nathan Bracken, Ben Laughlin and Doug Bollinger also in the outfit.Australia (possible) 1 Brad Haddin (wk), 2 James Hopes, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Andrew Symonds, 6 Callum Ferguson, 7 David Hussey, 8 Nathan Hauritz, 9 Stuart Clark, 10 Nathan Bracken, 11 Doug Bollinger.Yasir Arafat replaced Shoaib Akhtar in the previous game, but with Pakistan needing to win to stay in touch Shoaib could be recalled to provide some firepower. Ajmal will be feeling vulnerable despite some encouraging returns.Pakistan (possible) 1 Salman Butt, 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Younis Khan (capt), 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Shahid Afridi, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 Umar Gul, 9 Shoaib Akhtar, 10 Iftikhar Anjum, 11 Saeed Ajmal.

Pitch and conditions

The conditions in the UAE, with the low and spinning pitches, are unusual for the Australians, but the wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has been enjoying it. “The beauty about international cricket is you get the opportunity to play on so many different wickets,” he told AAP. “The wickets are a bit slower and lower than they are in Australia and they turn a bit more, but that’s the beauty of it, we’re playing in different conditions against a totally different side.” A similar surface is expected on Friday, when the temperature is predicted to range between 25 and 41C.

Stats and Trivia

• In a tough tournament for batsmen, James Hopes leads the run-list with 111, one ahead of Salman Butt
• Australia have not won a one-day series since sweeping aside Bangladesh in September
• Only three half-centuries have been scored in the series

Quotes

“You see a lot now in one-day games, teams consistently getting up near the 300, but as we’ve seen here all the games have been a contest and I think that’s all you’re after … It’s enjoyable sometimes to come and play on different wickets and have different plans in mind, to get 220 is a very good score in these sorts of conditions, so it’s been quite good.”
“We will learn a lot from this experience, by playing against the Australian team.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Abel Braga viveu mais uma noite de emoção, desta vez no Moisés Lucarelli. Antes do empate entre Fluminense e Ponte Preta, o treinador, que perdeu o filho mais novo, João Pedro, há duas semanas, recebeu o carinho de Daniel, um pequeno torcedor da Macaca, clube pelo qual Abel trabalhou em 2003. Em vídeo divulgado nas redes sociais, o garoto se emociona ao confortar o técnico.

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Não é só futebol! #ForçaAbel pic.twitter.com/h5O6q1A8iA

— A. A. Ponte Preta (@aapp_oficial) 9 de agosto de 2017

Após o jogo, Abelão comentou o emocionante encontro com o novo amigo.

– Foi um negócio emocionante. Me falaram que havia garotinho. Pensei que teria de ir ao campo, ele estava na porta. Quando o abracei, ele chorava e tremia. Perguntei o motivo. E ele disse: “Pois te adoro, adoro o Fábio e tenho pena pois o João Pedro se foi – afirmou o treinador do Flu, antes de seguir:

-Aquilo antes do jogo, com adrenalina alta… O menino, o abracei e pedi uma camisa a ele. Fiz um autógrafo. É meu amiguinho, o Daniel. Foi inesperado. Ele não era nem nascido quando passei na Ponte. O marcou pelos amigos, pais, irmãos… – finalizou Abel Braga, que também recebeu os aplausos e teve o nome gritado pela torcida da Ponte Preta na entrada dos times em campo.

Scorecard
A low-scoring opening day at the WACA ended with Australia Under-19 inching towards a lead over India Under-19 thanks to a fine display in the field. Right-arm fast bowler Kane Richardson’s five wickets bundled India out for 165 in 44.2 overs before the hosts finished the day five down for 136.India captain Ashok Meenaria’s decision to bat didn’t come off well, and he soon found himself battling for survival as wickets fell around him. Richardson took two wickets inside five overs and his fellow new-ball operator Jackson Coleman, on debut, also added to India’s early wobble. Meenaria added 56 with Harpreet Singh (24) but his dismissal for 51 was followed by a collapse of three wickets for no runs as Richardson returned to rock the lower middle order. A brisk 32 from Harshal Patel got the total beyond 150, barely.Australia were given a 61-run opening stand but suffered a collapse themselves. The offspinner Kundan Singh, 16, took three wickets to give India some hope before stumps were drawn. Tim Beaton, who took a fancy for the Indian attack in the first game in Hobart, contributed a solid 71 from 96 balls to lift Australia.

كشف المُهاجم الفرنسي، كريم بنزيما، لاعب ريال مدريد، أنه لا يعتبر نفسه أفضل لاعب في العالم، مُشيرًا إلى أنه يبذل قصارى جهده فقط من أجل النجاح مع النادي الملكي.

وردًا على “هل يعتبر بنزيما نفسه أفضل لاعب في العالم؟”، أجاب: “لست مُهتمًا بذلك، لكنني أبذل قصارى جهدي لهذا النادي كل عام، ريال مدريد هو أفضل نادٍ في العالم، ولكي نستمر كل عام، علينا أن نتطور”.

وأضاف في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية: “في العام الماضي كان لدي موسم جيد للغاية، لكن اختيار لقب الأفضل في العالم هو أمر يعود لأشخاص آخرين، وأنا أركز على واجباتي فقط”.

وبسؤاله حول ما إذا كان رحيل رونالدو سمح له بإظهار إمكانياته الكاملة؟” قال: “مُنذ رحيل كريستيانو، لقد سجلت المزيد من الأهداف، هذا صحيح، ولكن عندما كان هُنا، قدمت المزيد من المساعدة، وقمت بأعمال أخرى، وأنا كنت أعلم أنه يمكنه فعل المزيد وعندما غادر، افترضت أن دوري قد حان لتغيير اللعبة والطموح”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. أنشيلوتي: ريال مدريد سيُقاتل من أجل السداسية.. ولن ننخدع بهزيمة فرانكفورت أمام بايرن ميونخ

وردًا على “هل بنزيما بجاجة إلى مهاجم بديل؟”، أجاب المهاجم الفرنسي: “لا أعلم! فيوجد المدرب والرئيس هما من يُقرران، هناك العديد من اللاعبين في الفريق الذين يمكنهم اللعب كمهاجمين، أنا لا استطيع مساعدتك”.

واختتم تصريحاته: “عندما وصلت إلى ريال مدريد، كان عمري 21 عامًا وأردت أن أنجح، واليوم كوني قائدًا للفريق، فأنا أشعر بسعادة كبيرة وفخور بعملي، لكن لم يتغير شيئًا، في العام الماضي عملت أيضًا كقائد الآن أنا الأول، لكن الأمر لا يُغير كثيرًا، سأساعد زملائي في الفريق على النجاح وتسجيل النقاط على أرض الملعب”.

MatériaMais Notícias

Pouco mais de uma semana após a7ª Vara de Fazenda Pública, do Tribunal de Justiça do Estado de São Paulo, decidir que é improcedente uma ação do Corinthians para evitar a interdição do Parque São Jorge, o clube obteve uma vitória no caso: a Prefeitura de São Paulo emitiu o alvará de funcionamento da sede social do Corinthians, onde funcionam ginásios, quadras, teatro, museu, o estádio da Fazendinha e a parte de administração do clube.

O Parque São Jorge funcionava sem alvará e por meio de um mandado de segurança, e o Corinthians até admitiu que havia uma pendência na “certificação de instalações para a legislação atual”. Estava em vigor uma liminar e uma ação para impedir a Prefeitura de fechar as portas da sede, mas a Justiça decidiu desfavoravelmente no dia 2 e agora o processo está encerrado graças à concessão do alvará.

De acordo com a notificação da Prefeitura, o alvará vale para uma área de 58.370m² e com capacidade para 21.892 pessoas.

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Tudo sobre

CorinthiansParque São Jorge

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle’s interest in Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope.

What’s the talk?

According to Caught Offside, the Magpies have identified the Clarets netminder as a key target heading into the January transfer window.

The report claims that the Tynesiders believe he could be the start of their rebuild under PIF, with Burnley said to want £40m for the shot-stopper.

Key issue

Newcastle could solve a key issue in the squad by signing Pope in the January transfer window or next summer ahead of the 2022/23 campaign. The Magpies have struggled to find a consistent, reliable number one as Karl Darlow and Freddie Woodman have made four and three Premier League starts respectively this term.

Martin Dubravka missed 16 matches through injury last season and has already been absent for six games in this campaign. Darlow also has a history of injuries at St James’ Park, including one knock which kept him out of seven games in the 2020/21 season.

Pope, on the other hand, has played in 77 of Burnley’s last 83 Premier League games. This shows that he has been consistently available to feature, whilst also producing excellent performances on the pitch.

Clarets manager Sean Dyche previously heaped praise on the England international and labeled him as a ‘monster’ between the sticks, saying: “He’s improving all the time. His voice is getting stronger all the time, he’s getting more and more dominant and, trust me, he’s a monster. When you hear him shout ‘keeper’s!’ you get out the way!”

This highlights how highly the £34k-per-week beast is rated at Burnley, which is no surprise given that he has proven himself to be a match-winner for Dyche in the Premier League. Over the past 12 months, Pope ranks in the top 3% of goalkeepers in Europe’s top five leagues for save percentage (77.2%) and in the top 1% for the percentage of crosses stopped (13.1%).

He also ranks in the top 12% of goalkeepers for post-shot expected goals compared to goals against. This essentially means that he is an excellent shot-stopper in comparison to the majority of goalkeepers in the top five European leagues, which is why he is a match-winner.

Pope has the quality to make saves that others cannot and this can win crucial points for his team over the course of a season. Indeed, in the 2019/20 Premier League, his tally of 15 clean sheets was bettered only by Manchester City’s Ederson.

Therefore, he could come in and instantly be the first-choice number one between the sticks for Newcastle. Not only could he win them matches with his ability, but his consistency in terms of availability could solve a key issue that the club currently has with the injury-prone Darlow and Dubravka.

AND in other news, NUFC in talks over £42m deal for 29y/o with “magical powers”, fans would be ecstatic…

Newcastle United have now reportedly been ‘alerted’ to the possibility of signing Eden Hazard in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Tough time at Madrid

Hazard has had a tough time at Real Madrid so far, as he has been hit with a lot of injury problems (Transfermarkt).

He has only managed to play in a mere 52 games in total over all competitions across the last three consecutive seasons, scoring just five goals and making nine assists (BBC) to the Spanish capital.

Nonetheless, he is still a world-class player on his day, and perhaps a fresh start in a familiar league is exactly what he needs.

The Latest: Newcastle alerted

As per ESPN, the St. James’ Park faithful have now been ‘alerted’ to the possibility of signing Hazard in January, along with his former club Chelsea.

However it is unclear at this stage just how much interest there is in the Belgium international, and whether he would like to leave Madrid.

The Verdict: Avoid

There is no doubt that Hazard has been a great servant to the beautiful game down the years, notching up a total of 198 goals for both club and country in over 700 appearances, largely from a wide-midfield position (Transfermarkt).

However he is currently on a whopping £381,000-per-week at the Bernabeu. Even though money is no object to the new owners on Tyneside, Hazard is 30 years of age now, and penning an out-of-form and unfit player to a long deal on those sorts of wages simply cannot be justified.

Comparing his stats from this season alone, he has not yet managed to score a goal and only has one assist to his name (Transfermarkt).

With Allan Saint-Maximin already an option in the left-wing position as well, he would arguably not even start in his favoured role based on current form – the Frenchman has two goals and three assists this term – and so it would be a waste of money to sign him.

In other news, find out which ‘outstanding’ Premier League captain NUFC may make a move for in January here!