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Former chief operating officer of the PCB, Shafqat Naghmi, has said the renovation work at the Gaddafi Stadium may still be completed for Rs 184 million (around $2.3 million) and that the figure had not spiralled to Rs 471 million as the board claimed.

Cricinfo staff12-Jan-2009Former chief operating officer of the PCB, Shafqat Naghmi has hit back at claims of financial irregularities by the PCB, claiming that the renovation work at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium may still be completed for Rs 184 million (around $2.3 million). Naghmi said that the figure had not spiralled to Rs 471 million as the present board had earlier claimed.The PCB stopped work on the project at the stadium – which is also the cricket board’s headquarters – on Friday after they discovered “massive irregularities” in the construction of the far end pavilion. Further, the architect behind the project was also believed to be a “buddy” of Naghmi’s.”It’s true that the initial cost was Rs 142 million, but it was revised to Rs 184 million and not at what the PCB is now claiming,” Naghmi told . “It’s an exaggerated revised figure and I have no idea from where this has come.”The present PCB regime had termed the project as a “monumental disaster” and “fraudulent tender”, with chairman Ijaz Butt placing the blame fully on the men they replaced last August in a strongly-worded, no-holds barred statement.According to the PCB statement, the project had to be stopped after the cost more than tripled to Rs 471 million from an initial Rs 142 million.However, Naghmi said the PCB had paid the contractor Rs 142 million and now only Rs 42 million remained to be paid to complete the project. “I talked to the contractor today and even he is willing to complete the project, but I don’t know why the PCB has stopped the renovation work,” he said.

يرغب ماركوس ألونسو ظهير تشيلسي الإنجليزي، العودة إلى إسبانيا ووجهته المختارة لمواصلة لعب كرة القدم هي نادي برشلونة.

بعد 12 عامًا في الخارج، تسعة في إنجلترا (بين بولتون، سندرلاند وتشيلسي) وثلاثة في إيطاليا (فيورنتينا)، لا يفكر ألونسو إلا في العودة إلى الليجا، وبالتالي يكون قادرًا على أن يكون قريبًا من عائلته.

الدولي الإسباني هو اللاعب الذي اختاره تشافي هيرنانديز للتنافس مع جوردي ألبا، الذي لم يجد منذ رحيل لوكاس ديني في 2018 أي شخص يحل محله.

ماركوس ألونسو واضح جدًا بشأن مصيره، لكنه يواجه في الوقت الحالي رفض تشيلسي.

ونظرًا للعقبات التي يواجهها تشيلسي لتسهيل رحيله، عندما يتبقى عام واحد فقط على عقده في ستامفورد بريدج، لا يستبعد ألونسو اللجوء إلى “طلب الانتقال” ليتمكن من مغادرة فريقه بحسب ما أفادت صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الإسبانية. 

على الرغم من حقيقة أن ماركوس ألونسو يفضل ترك تشيلسي بطريقة ودية، لكن العقبات التي يواجهها قد تجعله يعيد التفكير.

اقرأ أيضًا | توتنهام يستعلم عن إمكانية ضم مهاجم برشلونة

“طلب النقل” هو وسيلة الضغط المتاح للاعبي الدوري الإنجليزي الذين يرغبون في مغادرة أنديتهم ومن خلاله يتدخل الاتحاد الإنجليزي للتوسط مع النادي المعني واللاعب لمحاولة وصول الطرفين إلى حالة مرضية.

حتى الآن، في كل مرة يحاول فيها وكيل ألونسو إيجاد مخرج مع تشيلسي، كان يواجه دائمًا رفضًا، لذلك إذا لم يكن هناك تغيير في الأيام القليلة المقبلة – فسيعتمد ذلك أيضًا على الرافعة الاقتصادية الثانية التي يتم تنشيطها في برشلونة. 

At 2.31pm on a hot Mohali Friday, Sachin Tendulkar steered Peter Siddle towards the third-man boundary for three runs to break Brian Lara’s record for most Test runs. The record stood for nearly two years after Lara played his final Test and it was inevitable that Tendulkar would eventually break it. As the day progressed Tendulkar scored his 50th half-century and became the first player to cross the 12,000-run mark.The disappointingly small crowd, built largely of school kids, immediately got on its feet to salute the feat, and fireworks, which continued for three minutes, went off at the PCA Stadium. Tendulkar raised his bat in the air, took his helmet off, and looked up at the sky, as is his routine when he gets to a hundred. Almost all the Australians, wherever placed in the field, came to congratulate him. Ricky Ponting, the man most likely to challenge his status of being the top run-getter, was the first man to shake his hand. Sourav Ganguly, Tendulkar’s partner at the nonstriker’s end, reminded him that he was there when he scored his record 35th Test century.This also brought an end to the soap-opera-type frenzied anticipation for the record. Tendulkar was expected to overtake Lara in Sri Lanka recently, but he endured a poor series with the bat, scoring just 95 runs in three Tests. Then in the series-opener in Bangalore, during a fine match-saving effort in the second innings, it seemed he would get to the record, but he gifted his wicket when 15 short.Even today the anxiety around was palpable. During the time he got to 15, India lost two wickets in moving from 146 to 179 in 10.2 overs. While he scored at a fair rate, he didn’t get nearly as much strike during the period as he would have wanted. While he played 23 balls, VVS Laxman and Ganguly faced 19 each. It was fitting, in a way, that he achieved the record against Australia, a team he has tormented several times in the past.Coincidentally, Lara too achieved the world record against Australia, when he went past Allan Border’s tally of 11,174 runs during the Adelaide Test in 2005. They remain the only three players to cross the 11,000-run mark in Tests. Though it is uncertain how long Tendulkar will prolong his Test career – which has lasted 19 years – the two players who stand the best chance of beating his eventual tally are Rahul Dravid (10,302) and Ponting (10,239).

Beau Casson has not given up hope of adding to his one Test cap despite being overlooked for Cameron White as the late spin call-up for Australia’s squad in India

Cricinfo staff06-Oct-2008
Beau Casson collected three wickets in his Test debut but he will have to wait for another chance at the top level © Getty Images
Beau Casson has not given up hope of adding to his one Test cap despite being overlooked for Cameron White as the late spin call-up for Australia’s squad in India. Casson made his debut in the West Indies but the selectors preferred Bryce McGain, Jason Krejza and White for the India trip.”You always want to be the No. 1 whatever you do, whether it’s bowling, batting or fielding,” Casson told the . “I have still got a hell of a lot of work to get there, and I’m still very optimistic to get there. Hopefully I can start sending the ball down well and add to my one Test, which I thoroughly enjoyed.”Casson, a left-arm wrist-spinner, picked up three wickets in the Test in Barbados and, unlike McGain and Krejza, holds a Cricket Australia contract. However, the selectors were keen to have a right-arm legspinner and an offspinner in India, so while White joins the squad in Bangalore as a replacement for the injured McGain, Casson will be playing Sheffield Shield cricket against Western Australia in Perth.”I would love to be in India but it wasn’t meant to be,” he said. “[The selectors] have decided to go with a combination they think will be successful over there.”The decision to add White to the squad was unexpected as he has developed into a batting allrounder whose legspin is used mostly as a backup for Victoria. He bowled only 84 overs during the last Pura Cup season and collected six wickets, although the selectors said they were impressed by his recent one-day form with Australia A in India, where he was the second leading wicket-taker in the tri-series.Michael Hussey said White would be a strong addition to the squad. “In previous years he was probably more of a batsman who could help out with the ball,” Hussey said.”But watching him work out in Darwin against Bangladesh and seeing some of the results against India A in India, he seems like he’s really improved his bowling and is getting a lot more confidence with it. That’s got to be a good sign for our team.”However, the former Test legspinner and spin coach Terry Jenner was struggling to understand why Casson had been ignored. He said White for McGain, who was sent home due to a lingering shoulder problem, was not a like-for-like swap.”Bryce McGain wasn’t going to bowl medium-pace leggies,” Jenner said in the . “I am at a bit of a loss because I go back to what his mentor David Hookes always said, that Cameron was only ever going to play for Australia as a batsman who could bowl a few overs. I don’t think much has changed since then, even though he tries his heart out.”

Fulham winger Fabio Carvalho is being targeted by a number of Premier League teams heading into the new season, according to the Daily Mail. 

What’s the story?

Carvalho has made six appearances in all competitions for Fulham’s first-team, where he’s evidently caught the eye with some strong performances.

The 18-year-old scored his first senior goal against Southampton, and it’ll be interesting to see whether he features in Marco Silva’s plans for the senior squad this season.

The Daily Mail have recently reported that Leeds United, West Ham, Norwich City and FC Porto are keen on signing Carvalho this summer, with that report claiming that Fulham are struggling to keep hold of the winger.

Shahid and Tony Khan reportedly are facing a difficult decision as to whether to cash in on Carvalho this summer or not, if they fail in their negotiations with the winger over a new contract.

‘Really bright’

Carvalho is only 18, and has shown real promise in the early stages of his senior career, which got underway towards the end of the 2020/21 season, where Fulham were already relegated from the Premier League.

He’s shown that he’s a player that isn’t shy on the big stage of senior football, and that’ll be pleasing to see for the Craven Cottage faithful, who will be keen to see Carvalho play his part in the club’s bid for promotion back into the top-flight this season.

Former Fulham boss Scott Parker previously labelled Carvalho as ‘really bright’, and was pleased to see him impress at senior level for the Cottagers, after scoring in the defeat to Southampton last term.

“Massive positive for us because he’s the one who’s going to be here, he’s a player that is really bright and can bring something to this team and you saw that today.

“We’ve seen his quality today, we’ve seen him scoring and assisting at an under-23 level but now he’s been around first-team players, he’s pushed on and done that as well.”

A move to Leeds United or West Ham could tempt Carvalho though, with both teams showing that there is a pathway through from their Under-23s team through to the senior squad, with Pascal Struijk (Leeds) and Ben Johnson (West Ham) being a class example of this.

But if Fulham are to have ambitions of returning to the Premier League at the first time of asking this season, then they’ll be doing all they can to keep Carvalho at Craven Cottage for the foreseeable future moving forwards.

AND in other news…Fulham have been dealt a transfer blow

Southampton have been dealt a blow in their hopes of keeping Jannik Vestergaard this summer, with reports claiming that the Danish centre-back remains an option for Tottenham Hotspur.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, the former Borussia Monchengladbach man could still be targeted by Nuno Espirito Santo’s side this summer if moves for other defensive options fall through.

Fortunately for Southampton, the North London club are in for Cristian Romero from Atalanta and also have the likes of Takehiro Tomiyasu and Nikola Milenkovic on their shortlist, but Saints fans will undoubtedly still be worried that the 28-year-old could leave the south coast at the last minute.

Will Vestergaard leave?

Vestergaard has now entered the final year of his contract at St Mary’s, and with no new deal on the horizon, it has been no surprise to see several clubs across Europe being linked with him so far this summer.

He enjoyed an excellent 2020/21 season with Southampton, contributing three goals in 28 Premier League appearances and averaging a solid 6.89 rating from WhoScored for his efforts, which was enough to rank him as the third-best performer in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side. It also led to him being dubbed “outstanding” by former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood back in January.

He was also a key part of Denmark’s success in the European Championship this summer, as he helped Kasper Hjulmand’s side to the semi-finals before they were knocked out by England in extra time at Wembley, and his performances there will also surely have caught the eye of some top clubs.

Therefore, Saints fans would surely be gutted to see him leave, especially if he were to follow former captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to Spurs, so they will be keeping a close eye on how potential Tottenham deals for Romero and Tomiyasu progress in the next few weeks.

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However, even if the Danish defender doesn’t sign for Tottenham this summer, Southampton should be concerned that he could potentially leave for a free next season. If he doesn’t show any willingness to sign a new deal, perhaps those on the St Mary’s board should consider cashing in on Vestergaard so the blow of his departure could at least be cushioned by the receipt of a transfer fee.

In other news… Semmens heading for Saints transfer disaster with £17m shocker, fans will be fuming

Tottenham Hotspur boss Nuno Santo has been handed an encouraging boost ahead of the new Premier League season this weekend…

What’s the latest?

According to The Athletic, Bryan Gil will return to Spurs training on Wednesday and as such, he could make his debut against Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.

The 20-year-old winger was signed for around £21m plus Erik Lamela from Sevilla and will face tests at Hotspur Way before linking up with the rest of the squad later this week.

Gil featured at the Tokyo Olympics this summer, as recently as last weekend, as Spain were beaten by Brazil in the gold medal match. However, he was not selected at Euro 2020, so he has had some time off without any fitness concerns.

He will be considered for selection ahead of kickoff.

Selection boost

This should come as a massive boost to the Portuguese head coach as it gives him another solid option in attack and given Harry Kane’s lack of a pre-season amid speculation linking him to this weekend’s opposition, he may well be required.

The Olympics has effectively been his ‘pre-season, having featured in five of Spain’s six matches, playing on both flanks, as per Transfermarkt.

There is also a bunch of excitement surrounding the young prodigy as he has been touted for big things alongside fellow countrymen Pedri and Ansi Fati, both of Barcelona.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-team-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-more” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours, gossip and much more!”]

Indeed, Gil has been described as a “big talent” with “huge, huge potential”, whilst he is said to have a “left foot made of pure gold” and has even been lauded as a “flamboyant winger” by football scout Jacek Kulig.

During 2020/21, the former Sevilla talent averaged 1.7 crosses and 1.9 key passes per 90 in La Liga, via WhoScored, which suggests that he is very good at providing his teammates with chances.

Only Heung-min Son managed to create more key passes (two) than Kane (1.4) last season, so having a player of that calibre in the squad for a game as big as City is undoubtedly a boost to Nuno’s chances of pulling off a shock result.

Even if he’s used from the bench, it gives Spurs a potentially lethal threat to bring on if the game is tight and when the opposition’s defence is tiring.

Therefore, the possibility of having him involved is a big, big plus for Nuno and the Lilywhites.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Ndombele: Spurs must sign £12m-rated “great talent” who’s “similar” to Eriksen…

Ironically, after overnight rains threatened to put a dampener on proceedings and caused a whole session to be lost, the West Indies came up with their best cricket of the series so far

Anand Vasu18-Oct-2002Ironically, after overnight rains threatened to put a dampener on proceedings and caused a whole session to be lost, the West Indies came up with their best cricket of the series so far. Despite grassing as many as three catches, the mercurial men of the Caribbean managed to restrict India to 190 for five at the end of the second day’s play.A West Indian team of the 70s, with batsmen swaggering to centuries and bowlers brushing aside batsmen with high-quality pace, would not be enthused by the situation they are facing. For Carl Hooper though, with no more than one colleague able to play the Indian spinners and only a group of rookies to send down the overs, this position is more than acceptable. Without being cruel, one remembers the old saying that refers to beggars and their lack of choice.Some say it’s basketball, others the lack of role models. Whatever the reason for the lack of genuine talent coming through on the cricket scene, chairman of selectors Sir Vivian Richards can take heart from the way debutant Jermaine Lawson performed today. Bowling with heart, the paceman from Jamaica bowled good line and length, extracting reverse swing and keeping the batsmen under pressure, all this while bowling at considerable pace.But talking about pace, the manner in which Virender Sehwag continued from his overnight score of 24 suggested that he wanted to finish this game early to spend some time with his family in Najafgarh. A slew of boundaries off the pacemen that pierced the infield and peppered the advertising hoardings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium meant that was not long before Hooper turned to the other debutant in this game – batting-off-spinning-all-rounder Gareth Breese.In Breese’s very first over, the young bowler learned something about bowling off-spin at the highest level as Sehwag, hitting with the turn, launched Breese over the ropes at long-on. The next ball saw a tentative defensive shot edged to short leg, where Wavell Hinds fluffed a catch; but what a maiden Test wicket that would have been! To rub it in, Sehwag just clattered the next delivery into the upper tier of the stands at long-on.The West Indians could only heave a sigh of relief in the 26th over of the day when a peach of a delivery from Pedro Collins had Sehwag playing down the wrong line and losing his off-stump. Sehwag’s entertaining 61 came off just 65 balls and included a remarkable eight hits to the fence and three sixes.Rahul Dravid, attempting to equal Everton Weekes’ record of five centuries in as many Tests, was cleaned up by the delivery of the day when he was on just 11. A cracker of an inswinger, hitting the deck at just the right length, zipped past Dravid’s bat at express pace and shattered the furniture. An overjoyed Lawson had the first wicket of his Test career, a fine scalp at that.Sachin Tendulkar, batting at one of his favourite grounds, began unconvincingly. While several deliveries from Hooper reared off a length or bounced awkwardly, Tendulkar defended without conviction. However, when the bowlers erred in line or length, he was quick to pounce and send the ball to the fence.For company, Tendulkar had a solid ally in Sanjay Bangar. Batting as to the manner born, the Railways cricketer kept the bowling stolidly at bay. The stodgy defensive stroke was in operation, as was the effective leave outside the off-stump. The push past covers or through point yielded a high proportion of Bangar’s 40 that came off a labourious 171 balls, but almost four hours into his knock, a similar stroke presented a catch to Hooper at slip off the bowling of Dillon.Off the very next ball, Dillon struck again, although it would be more appropriate if umpire Asoka de Silva were given credit for that particular dismissal. After handing Wavell Hinds a raw deal just yesterday, umpire de Silva raised the dreaded finger on Ganguly even as he thickly inside-edged a straight one from Dillon onto his pads. “Ganguly lbw bowled Dillon” is the entry in the scorebook; more believable lines have been written in ten-penny pot-boilers.Tendulkar proceeded to score at an even clip, despite not being at his best. When he moved past 16, the little man reached yet another milestone – 20,000 runs in international cricket. Allan Border, with 17,698 runs, is the closest to Tendulkar. But Border, renowned for his obdurate attitude, would certainly have batted with greater concentration on the day than Tendulkar did. On 43 (156 minutes, 113 balls, five fours), Tendulkar dragged a wide delivery from Lawson back onto his stumps.When Tendulkar was dismissed, with the clouds gathering, the sun setting and the floodlights coming on, India were 180 for five. Parthiv Patel did not get a chance to get his feet moving, and with a fluent VVS Laxman (18 not out) at the crease, play was stopped due to bad light less than three overs later. On the day, 28 overs were lost, taking into account the late start and the inability to go on for the extra hour after the scheduled close.At 190 for five, India still have much to do in this game. After bowling the West Indies out for a mere 167, they need to make sure they now garner a substantial lead. For their part, the men from the Caribbean will be able to enjoy at least one good night’s sleep. To their credit, it’s well-earned. There is fire in the belly and rain in the air, and the two might just be enough to keep this series alive.

PERTH, Dec 17 AAP – He looks like a pirate and loves nothing better than plundering bowling attacks with his unique brand of swash-buckling cricket.

Tom Wald17-Dec-2002PERTH, Dec 17 AAP – He looks like a pirate and loves nothing better than plundering bowling attacks with his unique brand of swash-buckling cricket.The dashing Ryan Campbell is set for his second taste of international one-day cricket when the Australian team is named tomorrow for Sunday’s day-night match against Sri Lanka at the WACA ground.The 30-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman is tipped to again replace West Australian team-mate Adam Gilchrist who is sitting out the match with a slight groin strain and knee soreness.If so it will be his second international one-day after he scored 38 from 52 balls in a 23-run loss to New Zealand at the SCG last season when filling in for Gilchrist.While Campbell is no Gilchrist, Gabba fans can attest to the right-hander’s entertainment value after his 42 from 28 balls in Australia A’s win over Sri Lanka on Saturday.Such was the audacity of Campbell’s two flick shots over the Sri Lankan keeper that viewers could have been excused for thinking they had stumbled upon a game of backyard cricket.His radical style has seemed even more appropriate this summer with his wild facial hair.Campbell grew up in the goldfields city of Kalgoorlie where he developed a fossicker’s inventive style.But former WA team-mate Simon Katich was one person who was hardly surprised at Campbell’s improvisation last weekend after spending the last six summers playing together.Katich did have reservations about Campbell’s current look.”He’s sporting a new-look mullet and he has had fair bit of growth happening, he’s looking a bit eccentric actually,” Katich said.But the current NSW player said any comparison with the destructive play of Gilchrist was difficult.”It is hard to compare anyone with Gilly, but in terms of a guy who can play some strokes, Campbo’s right up there,” Katich said.He put Campbell’s unconventional scoring ways to having a superb eye.”He picks up the ball pretty early and he plays shots other blokes probably wouldn’t,” he said.”He can pick up fours and sixes with shots that aren’t conventional but are totally effective.”In a recent four-day match against Victoria, Campbell when berserk mid-innings with 10 fours in 18 deliveries before being lowered by a ball which struck him in the groin.He dropped to his knees and crawled along like a desperate man searching for water in the desert.He was out only five runs later for 75.”Campbo can change the tempo of a game, because he scores so quickly he also takes the pressure off the batsman at the other end,” Katich said.Whatever happens for Campbell this weekend, be assured of one thing, when he is at the crease tune in, because it will not be dull.

Emiliano Buendia is not a replacement for Jack Grealish, says Aston Villa journalist Luke Hatfield.

Villa signed the Argentine winger from Norwich City last month in a deal said to be worth £40m, a club-record fee.

Considering that, you could forgive fans for wondering if he had been bought to replace Grealish.

The Villa captain has been linked with a move away from the Midlands club for a while now, with Sky Sports reporting that Manchester City are readying a bid.

However, according to Hatfield, that is not the case. Instead, Buendia has been brought in to complement Grealish.

“It’s an interesting one and a lot of fans have kind of put two and two together with that,” the Express & Star journalist said as he discussed Buendia and Grealish in a chat with FFC.

“Buendia’s come in, obviously plays a similar position, albeit off the right as opposed to Grealish playing off the left. Villa are very much in the camp that he was brought in to be an addition to Jack Grealish and not a replacement.”

It will come as a relief to Villa fans, who will not want to see their chief creator, who provided 10 assists in the Premier League last season, leave this summer.

Of course, a lot could still happen before the transfer window closes, especially with Manchester City sniffing around. But the signs indicate that the Villans want to build around Grealish rather than sell him off for big money.