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A compromise between the PCB and former captain Shahid Afridi is on the cards following a meeting between the board chairman Ijaz Butt and Afridi in Islamabad

Osman Samiuddin14-Jun-2011A compromise between the PCB and former captain Shahid Afridi is likely following a meeting between the board chairman Ijaz Butt and Afridi in Islamabad, bringing to an end one of the biggest player-board disputes in recent memory in Pakistan.”I did meet Afridi in Islamabad but I cannot say any more than that at the moment,” Butt told ESPNcricinfo. He refused to indicate if the meeting had an outcome or whether there was an announcement to be expected. A statement from the board later said no further announcements will be made.Speculation indicated that through this agreement, Afridi will be given the No Objection Certificates he needs to play for Hampshire and later in the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL). In return, he will withdraw the petition he filed in the Sindh High Court against the board’s decision to form a disciplinary committee, cancel his central contract and revoke his NOC and will face any punishment the committee hands out.In effect, the situation appears to have returned to when Afridi first replied to the board’s showcause notice, in which he accepted violating the code of conduct and expressed a willingness to face a hearing if his NOC was reinstated. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for June 16 at the Sindh High Court and Afridi could withdraw his petition then.The meeting is believed to have been the result of intervention of senior political figures; from the start the dispute took on a political character. Afridi had appealed directly to Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari, who is the chief patron of the board, to resolve the situation. He had met Zardari’s son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in London and had spoken to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif as well on the matter.Rehman Malik, the interior minister and mediator in past disputes, also got involved, promising on Twitter to find a solution. The flurry of activity prompted the PCB to issue a rare statement expressing displeasure at the political interference, compelling Butt to tell a local newspaper of his exasperation at the number of phone calls he had received on the matter.Advisors close to Afridi are also believed to have tried convincing him to reach a compromise with an administration under whom he has publicly said he will not play again, after having been removed as ODI captain in May. Though Afridi was unconvinced at first, the possibility of losing out on the Twenty20 stint with Hampshire – who were looking at Chris Gayle as a replacement option – forced his hand.”We’ve remained hopeful all along, and we are very hopeful that an announcement can be made soon,” Rod Bransgrove, Hampshire’s chairman, told ESPNcricinfo. “But we cannot say anything more definitive beyond that at this stage.”We had to look at all contingency options, and Chris Gayle’s name was one of those names that came into the frame,” Bransgrove said. “But we have remained hopeful all along that Afridi would receive clearance to join us for the remainder of the Twenty20 campaign.”

Ange Postecoglou has suggested that Tom Rogic will be available for selection in Celtic’s upcoming Premiership clash.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by Football Scotland, the 56-year-old revealed that, despite having only recently returned from international duty with Australia, the attacking midfielder does not require a rest from first-team football and will be available for Sunday afternoon’s trip to Motherwell.

Speaking about the availability of the 29-year-old, Postecoglou said: “He’s back and he’s ready to play.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Rogic has been for the Bhoys so far this season, the news that the midfielder will be available for selection for the trip to Fir Park tomorrow is sure to have left the Parkhead faithful buzzing.

Indeed, over his 18 Premiership outings in the current campaign, the £1.35m-rated Australian has been in fantastic form for the Hoops, having already bagged three goals, provided six assists and created nine big chances for his teammates, along with taking 2.1 shots and making 1.8 key passes per game. These returns have seen the £15k-per-week midfielder average a SofaScore match rating of 7.00.

Furthermore, with Rogic’s fellow attacking midfielder David Turnbull still unavailable because of his hamstring injury, the return of the 29-year-old will undoubtedly be very welcome for Postecoglou, who will certainly be hoping that Rogic and his Celtic team-mates can continue their remarkable recent form with yet another positive result against Motherwell.

Rangers face a challenging test against third-placed Hearts tomorrow, and should the Bhoys’ Glasgow rivals once again slip up, a victory at Fir Park could well see the Hoops move clear in the Premiership title race – an outcome which would undoubtedly delight everyone involved with the Parkhead club.

In other news – Forget Dembele: Postecoglou must now unleash “generational” Celtic prodigy who has “no fear”

A 140-run opening stand followed by disciplined bowling enabled Mountaineers to inflict a crushing 111-run defeat on the Mashonaland Eagles in Harare

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2010
ScorecardA 140-run opening stand between Tino Mawoyo and Jonathan Beukes, followed by disciplined bowling enabled Mountaineers to inflict a 111-run defeat on the Mashonaland Eagles in Harare.Mawoyo – who played two ODIs for Zimbabwe against Bangladesh in 2006 – hit ten fours in his 73 off 79 deliveries while Beukes hit seven fours and a six in his 69 off 80. After their dismissals, Timycen Maruma, Mark Vermeulen and former South Africa allrounder Lance Klusener kept up the pressure on Eagles as 134 runs came in the last 15 overs.The Eagles’ chase started poorly when they reduced to 8 for 2. Though opener Simbarashe Gupo tried to steady the innings, wickets fell regularly and once they collapsed to 91 for 6, Eagles were out of the game. Seamer Silent Mujaji took 3 for 30 as Eagles were eventually dismissed for 163.Mountaineers earned a bonus point for their huge win. This was Eagles’ second loss to Mountaineers in four days after they had lost a close Logan Cup match by 14 runs.

Former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is set to become the new Everton boss after Rafa Benitez was sacked by the Toffees 11 days ago.

What’s the story?

According to The Athletic’s Everton correspondent Patrick Boyland, the former Chelsea manager is set to be named as Benitez’s replacement in the Goodison Park dugout.

Boyland tweeted: “More news that Frank Lampard is on the verge of becoming the new Everton manager” with the Merseyside club set to appoint their sixth permanent manager in under six years.

The 43-year-old has been out of work since last January when he was dismissed by Chelsea after 18 months as boss at Stamford Bridge.

Everton are also set to add Chelsea coach Anthony Barry to the coaching set-up, according to The Athletic, whilst Jody Morris, who was the Englishman’s assistant at both Derby County and Chelsea, isn’t expected to follow Lampard up to Merseyside.

Former Toffees player Wayne Rooney, currently manager of Championship strugglers Derby, revealed that he was offered the job but turned it down, saying: “Everton approached my agent and asked me to interview for the job. I turned it down. I believe I will be a PL manager and am ready for that 100%. But I have a job at Derby, which is important to me.â€

Lampard could save Everton’s season

It is no secret that Everton have been significantly underwhelming this campaign, hence Benitez’s dismissal after just six months in the job.

The Toffees are stuck in 16th place and are much closer to the relegation zone than they would like to be, with a four-point advantage over 18th place Newcastle United; the former does have a game in hand though.

In his year-and-a-half stint at Chelsea, Lampard oversaw fourth in the 2019/20 campaign and were runners up in the FA Cup, losing to Arsenal 2-1.

The 43-year-old also led Derby to the Championship play-off final in his first season as a manager, where they narrowly missed out on promotion losing 2-1 to Aston Villa.

Meanwhile, Patrick Boyland has dropped an Everton transfer update…

Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson has delivered his verdict on the future of attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho at Aston Villa. 

The lowdown: Star signing

The 29-year-old arrived at Villa Park in January on a short term deal from Barcelona until the end of the season and proved to be an instant hit in the Midlands.

Following a debut goal against Manchester United in a 2-2 draw, Coutinho has taken his tally to four goals and three assists in just 14 Premier League outings.

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Despite a dip in overall form for Villa in recent weeks, manager Steven Gerrard has been backed to pursue a move for the former Liverpool man…

The latest: Robinson endorses summer move

Speaking to Football Insider, ex-Tottenham number one and current BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Robinson backed Villa to sign Coutinho on a permanent basis due to the good personal relationship with the manager.

“Villa have slipped away quietly this season. I was expecting them to finish in the top ten after the impact Steven Gerrard had in his first few weeks. They were playing really well.

“They are a work in progress though. You forget where they were when he took over. I still think he’ll want to sign Coutinho permanently. They have such a good relationship. I can see it happening.

“I think Coutinho, [Ollie] Watkins, John McGinn and Matty Cash will be the players Steven builds the team around next season. I can see them pushing on if they do.

“They have fallen away but I expect a big improvement next year.”

The verdict: Make it happen

Without a goal contribution in six outings, there has been an undoubted drop off since a scintillating introduction to life as a Villan for Coutinho.

However, boasting an impressive trophy cabinet with 11 major accolades from spells at the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich, opportunities to sign a player of the 68-cap Brazilian’s calibre don’t present themselves that often.

With a reported option to buy standing at £33million (Sky Sports), the Aston Villa hierarchy should be willing to sanction the permanent move for the skilful forward once described as possessing ‘magical powers’ by Roberto Firmino as Gerrard looks to build a squad ready to challenge the top half of the table next season.

In other news, journalist urges Aston Villa to focus on key position. Read more here.

Andrew Strauss could only curse England’s injury crisis as a shortage of bowling options meant a record-breaking batting effort went to waste at Sydney

Andrew McGlashan at the SCG02-Feb-2011Andrew Strauss could only curse England’s injury crisis as a shortage of bowling options meant a record-breaking batting effort went to waste at Sydney. The visitors were handsomely placed after piling up 333 but Paul Collingwood suffered a back spasm and was unable to fill his role with the ball as Australia won by two wickets.Collingwood, who was picked primarily for his bowling, joined England’s lengthy casualty list from this one-day series which has left Strauss with the bare bones of an attack. Tim Bresnan (calf) and Graeme Swann (back) are already back in the UK and will soon be joined by Ajmal Shahzad (hamstring) and Chris Tremlett (side), who will fly home from Sydney on Thursday.Liam Plunkett, the Durham allrounder, has completed a 36-hour journey from the Caribbean to Perth where England head to tomorrow for the final one-day international on Sunday, and Collingwood’s injury gives him a decent chance of at least being rewarded with a match for his brief visit Down Under.The loss of Collingwood also turned the spotlight on England’s gamble of playing just five bowlers with the fill-in 10 overs from Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott costing 72. Strauss admitted they will have to reassess the balance of the side heading into the World Cup, but added the injury situation hadn’t left much breathing space in this match.”He had a back spasm so he couldn’t walk very well and he certainly couldn’t bowl,” Strauss said. “At the moment we are a bit short on bowlers full stop. So we were forced into right that at the moment. It’s a fair question to ask. It’s not ideal – I need five bowlers, there is no doubt.”Ideally you will have six bowlers at your disposal; five specialists and a Collingwood-type bowler. We are going to have to decide what the best way of winning games out on the sub-continent is. The likelihood is there are going to be two spinners involved and that allows you to play with six bowlers.”The conditions also made it a tough day with temperatures nudging 40 degrees although England avoided the worst of the heat by batting first. Even then it took its toll on the batsmen with Jonathan Trott suffering from cramp during his 137 and needing a runner to complete the innings.”It was certainly one of the hottest days I’ve ever batted in. That takes it’s toll on the players, the players have played a lot of cricket over the course of this Australian summer,” Strauss said. “It was hard work. It was very frustrating to do all that hard work and not get the result at the end of it.”Trott, who managed to take on fluids during the interval and fielding for most of Australia’s innings, said the coloured one-day kits make it even harder. “It was really tough. It’s just one of those things, also with the blue clothing, it’s not the white stuff, so it heats up pretty quickly.”For a moment during Australia’s innings it appeared another player may have gone down when Kevin Pietersen slid in the outfield and hurt his ankle. He limped off for treatment but returned to send down six overs and claim the wicket of Mitchell Johnson. Too many more injuries and England will struggle to name an eleven in Perth.

A resurgent Netherlands, fresh from their six-wicket trouncing of a full-strength Bangladesh side in Glasgow three days ago, have handed out similar treatment to the touring Zimbabwe XI

Cricinfo staff23-Jul-2010
Scorecard
A resurgent Netherlands, fresh from their six-wicket trouncing of a full-strength Bangladesh side in Glasgow three days ago, have handed out similar treatment to the touring Zimbabwe XI. Grafting innings from Tom Cooper (49) and Wesley Barresi (47) carried Netherlands to 194 for 9 before Maurits Jonkman and Mudassar Bukhari combined to skittle the Zimbabweans for 136, taking three cheap wickets apiece to seal a 58-run win.The pitch at the VRA Ground in Amstelveen played consistently slow and low during the recent World Cricket League Division One tournament, and conditions were no different today. It appeared Bas Zuiderent had erred after he opted to bat first and Netherlands slid to 48 for 3 in the 18th over, but Cooper held the top order together for the first half of the innings before he was stumped one run short of a half-century of Sean Williams’ left-arm spin.He had done well to see off challenging opening spells from Ed Rainsford and Shingi Masakadza, who removed both Netherlands openers before Nathan Waller’s medium pace did for Tom de Grooth and Zuiderent.Netherlands were tottering at 94 for 5 when Cooper departed, but Barresi and Bukhari staved off the collapse with a 33-run stand before Barresi took his side to within reach of a respectable target by adding a further 50 runs for the seventh wicket with Ruud Nijman. After he was run out with the score at 177, the Zimbabwean opening bowlers returned to pick up another wicket each and keep Netherlands to under 200.The Zimbabweans would no doubt have been confident chasing such a small total, but Zuiderent’s men will have been far more familiar with a bowler-friendly pitch and chipped steadily away at the batting line-up as three partnerships worth more than 20 were put together, but none went past Regis Chakabva and Stuart Matsikenyeri’s 25 for the second wicket.Charles Coventry did his best to inject some life into the middle order with a 37-ball 31, and when he was caught behind off Bukhari the Zimbabweans were 98 for 5 – a very similar position to that midway through the Dutch innings. But none of the lower order came to term with the conditions, Jonkman picking up the last three wickets to fall. With Williams unable to bat after injuring himself in the field, Jonkman sealed the win by disturbing Natsai Mushangwe’s stumps in the 40th over.Despite the fact that only two members of the Zimbabwe XI squad – Coventry and Craig Ervine – are recent regulars in the senior national side, every member of the team has represented their country at some level and few would have backed Netherlands to pull off a convincing win with such ease. The Zimbabweans will have to acclimatise quickly if they are to hold off what is sure to be a spirited attack from a buoyed Netherlands side when the two teams meet again for a four-day Intercontinental Cup game on Sunday.

Aston Villa journalist Ashley Preece believes a summer move for Luis Suarez is possible. 

The lowdown

Villa have already pulled off a blockbuster transfer under Steven Gerrard, bringing Philippe Coutinho – the fourth-most expensive player in football history – to The Midlands.

Gerrard, of course, played with both Coutinho and Suarez at Liverpool.

Suarez, who’s about to turn 35, is now into the final six months of his deal at Atletico Madrid.

Villa’s current striking options – Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings – have only managed nine goals between them in 34 combined appearances this season (via BBC Sport).

The latest

In a fan Q & A, Preece said that Suarez ‘is one for the summer’ because he’ll be remaining at Atletico until the expiry of his contract.

The move may depend on ‘whether Gerrard gives him a call like he did with Coutinho’.

He envisages a ’12-month deal’ but did caution that Suarez’s ‘astronomical’ wages could complicate matters.

The verdict

Suarez would arguably be an even more high-profile signing than Coutinho. In his pomp, this is a striker who featured in the FIFPro World XI.

And his output remains strong. Since joining Atletico ahead of the 2020/21 season, he’s bagged 30 goals in 66 appearances, including nine this season

Suarez has spoken extremely highly of the Villa boss, hailing him as one of ‘a small number of players in the world that are irreplaceable’.

If Gerrard makes the call and he agrees to a reduced wage, then perhaps we could genuinely see Suarez at Villa Park.

In other news, fans react to this approach for their defender.

Tottenham Hotspur are now vying to sign in-form Valencia midfielder Carlos Soler as manager Antonio Conte eyes yet more fresh faces, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Conte seeks major overhaul…

The Telegraph, sharing some pretty big news this week, lifted the lid on a scheduled Spurs sit down at the end of 2021/2022 between Conte, managing director Fabio Paratici and chairman Daniel Levy.

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In the report, it is stated that Tottenham’s head coach wants as many as six major signings – including a reserve goalkeeper, right-wing-back, centre-half, two midfielders and a forward.

Conte’s ambition on the pitch is backed even more off it going by this latest update with there being no shortage of targets for his midfield.

Leicester City star Youri Tielemans and Brentford playmaker Christian Eriksen are both on the Lilywhites’ agenda as they aim to maintain their climb up the Premier League (The Times).

The Latest: Spurs competing for Soler…

TUTTOmercatoWEB, sharing yet another midfield man on Conte’s radar, now claim Tottenham are one of the teams competing to sign Valencia’s star man Soler.

The 25-year-old has bagged a brilliant 12 goals and five assists in all competitions this season, attracting interest from both the north Londoners and West Ham.

Valencia’s number 10 could also leave for nothing in 2023 with his contract expiring next year, potentially making his 2022 summer transfer ‘cheaper’.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Soler is still young, a proven final third threat and an alleged ‘highly respected’ figure in the Mestalla Stadium dressing room according to Radio Taronja journalist Alvaro Benzal (via La Liga Lowdown).

Bearing this in mind, the Spaniard comes as a seriously underrated option for Spurs.

According to WhoScored, only Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-min have averaged more key passes per 90 in the final third than Soler over 2021/2022 – while Son and Harry Kane stand as just two Spurs players with a greater amount of league goals.

Taking into account his quality, it’s little wonder Valencia slapped a mammoth €150 million (£126m) release clause into his current deal, as the La Liga giants confirmed back in 2019.

Reports out of Spain, via Sport Witness, also back that he would be perfect for Conte – with claims emerging that Soler ‘fits the profile’ Spurs’ head coach wants in north London.

As time runs down on his contract, Paratici could also be in a strong negotiating position, so we advise Spurs to seriously consider a formal approach this summer.

In other news: Source: Tottenham edge closer to ‘top signing’, he really wants to join Conte! Find out more here.

Brendon McCullum admitted New Zealand have forgotten how to win after the team were hammered by India in a warm-up match on the eve of the World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Feb-2011Brendon McCullum admitted New Zealand have forgotten how to win after the team were hammered by India in their second warm-up match before the World Cup.New Zealand recently slumped to a 3-2 defeat in an ODI series at home to Pakistan, and before that were on an 11-game losing streak. They lost by 117 runs to India on February 16, with dreadful bowling in the last 10 overs and a poor run chase underpinning another sloppy defeat.They open their campaign on Sunday against Kenya and are in dire need of a confidence booster. “We have to face up to the fact that under pressure we aren’t performing well. We just aren’t getting it done under pressure,” McCullum told Radio Sport.Asked if the team had forgotten how to win, McCullum, who was a sole bright spot during the warm-up game, top-scoring for his team with 58, replied: “That’s probably a fair summation. Someone has to flick the switch, somewhere along the line we have to get ourselves across the finishing line and with a W [win] in the column. If we can do that it will start to breed the confidence that we need.”Until such time that we do that, we are going to somehow have to borrow some confidence to stare down those situations and dream that we are capable of achieving success in those moments.”New Zealand have a reputation for punching above their weight in global tournaments and have reached the semi-final stage five times in the World Cup without ever progressing further. In 2007 they were defeated by Sri Lanka in the semis but to repeat even that performance McCullum insists they need to up their game.”[The India loss] has definitely dented our confidence a little bit, there’s no doubting that. But we can’t have that mental blockage or mental baggage heading into this World Cup. We have to ditch that quickly.”The team conceded 114 in the final 10 overs against India and McCullum was less than impressed with the showing. “It’s unacceptable. I guess the effort is there but we have to be better than that and that’s the brutal truth. We need to turn it around very quickly.”Captain Daniel Vettori missed the match with a hamstring worry but McCullum is confident he will be back in action soon. “It was more precautionary. I saw him running around after the game tonight [Wednesday] and doing a bit of fielding. It looked like he was moving freely.”