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Azhar Mahmood saved Pakistan from embarrassment withan unbeaten 80 after an unknown off-spinner wreckedtheir batting at Derby

Nigel Gardner09-May-2001Azhar Mahmood saved Pakistan from embarrassment withan unbeaten 80 after an unknown off-spinner wreckedtheir batting at Derby.Nathan Dumelow, a 20-year-old making his first-classdebut, took four wickets, three in 19 balls, as thetourists crashed from 101-1 to 182-9.But Mahmood and Shoaib Akhtar shared a last wicketstand of 80 to give Pakistan a lead of 96 and by theclose, Derbyshire were 66-2 in their second innings.As well as Mahmood batted, the day belonged to Dumelowwhose only other taste of senior cricket had come onMonday in the Benson & Hedges Cup at Leicester.To bowl for 22 overs unchanged against top players ofspin was a superb effort and he thoroughly deservedhis success after his second ball was hit for six byImran Farhat.He kept his nerve and flighted the ball to take theprize wickets of Yousuf Youhana and Inzamam-ul-Haqbefore he bowled Abdur Razzaq second ball for a duck.Derbyshire rate him highly and skipper Dominic Corksaid: “He is a wonderful talent. There are some goodplayers of spin among those victims.”Pakistan will be concerned at the way they struggledagainst a weakened county team but will be encouragedby the performance of Mahmood who played well in acrisis.Unfortunately there were some incidents off the fieldwhen a small number of Pakistan supporters wereejected from the County Ground after bottles werethrown from a stand.No one was hurt but the club’s chief executive JohnSmedley said: “We are sorry it came to this, I don’tthink anyone knows what started this off.”

Paddy Kenny reckons Celtic may ‘already have someone appointed and ready’ to take over at Parkhead come the end of the season.

The former Sheffield United, Leeds and Republic of Ireland goalkeeper was speaking to Football Insider in the wake of an exciting claim from journalist Stuart Hodge tweeted on Saturday morning that an agreement with Eddie Howe has been struck, with an announcement of the appointment to come ‘in the very near future’.

The lowdown

The identity of Celtic’s next manager remains unknown more than two months on from Neil Lennon’s resignation, with just two league games remaining this season, with Howe long being the ‘strong favourite’ for the role.

Intriguingly, a statement on Friday informed fans that the club was ‘working hard to complete the appointment of the new Celtic manager’, suggesting a deal was at an advanced stage. They vowed that they would do all they can ‘to confirm this as soon as possible to our supporters’.

Hodge’s subsequent tweet would suggest that Celtic’s statement could be more than just rhetoric to try and satisfy the support base.

The latest

Kenny understands why Celtic fans may be ‘unhappy’ at the delays but urged them to ‘trust the owners’. According to Football Insider, Howe verbally agreed to take the job ‘before having second thoughts’.

The ex-Ireland goalkeeper told Football Insider: “They could already have someone appointed and ready to go in.

“I don’t know if Howe is still in for it. It’s one of those where they might want to get this season out of the way first and start afresh before making an announcement.

“You can see why the fans are unhappy if they think Howe is using the club as a bargaining chip.

“But if that’s their man and they want him that much then you’ve got to trust the owners and take him on board.”

The verdict

Celtic conclude their miserable season away to Hibernian on Saturday and may indeed make an announcement either side of that game.

Whilst you want your new manager to be wholeheartedly enthused about the project, supporters can rest assured that Howe would surely be totally committed if he puts pen to paper.

Perhaps he viewed the scale of the task as somewhat daunting, with Celtic trailing Rangers by 23 pointers and stalwarts like Scott Brown set to leave the club.

However, it’s also an opportunity for the new manager, most likely Howe, to make an immediate impression if they can reclaim the balance of power in Scottish football in his first season at the helm.

In other news, could this be one of the first signings made under Howe?

Peterborough United Director of Football Barry Fry has told Football FanCast that Tottenham Hotspur have to keep Harry Kane this summer if they are to challenge next season, and says that must kick-start a rebuilding job in north London.

The striker has been in electric form this season and has scored 31 goals in all competitions, while also providing 16 assists.

Kane has been heavily linked with a move away from the club this summer, with The Athletic reporting that he is keen to leave for a new challenge, particularly if the club fail to qualify for the Champions League.

Spurs are currently sixth, five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea with four games to go.

The club have, of course, sacked Jose Mourinho and have placed Ryan Mason in interim charge of the team until the end of the season.

It remains to be seen who will take over – there have been a number of managers linked with the club – but Fry says there is a major job to be done, though the first task is ensuring that the England captain remains.

His current contract expires in 2024 and Fry thinks he needs a new deal to show his commitment to Tottenham.

He told FFC: “Whoever comes into Tottenham, Kane’s got to stay, so they’ve got to give him a new contract and do whatever they’ve got to do to make him stay because no matter who comes in, without him, they’re going to struggle.

“There’s no doubt about it, they’re going to struggle.

“He’s got three years left on his contract, Tottenham are obviously in charge of that but we’ve all known before when a player is unhappy.

“I’m not saying Harry Kane’s unhappy, he loves Tottenham, he’ll do anything for Tottenham, but there comes a time when without massive rebuilding there, they’re not going to be challenging for the league title for a start.”

New Zealand have failed to crack the Australian cricket nut once again with no Tests next summer scheduled for the main city centres of Sydney and Melbourne

Lynn McConnell22-May-2001New Zealand have failed to crack the Australian cricket nut once again with no Tests next summer scheduled for the main city centres of Sydney and Melbourne.The last occasion New Zealand played a Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was in 1987 when Australia survived for a draw with its last pair at the wicket.Sydney was last the venue for a transtasman Test in 1985/86, the only Test Australia won in the six-Test home and away series of that summer in which New Zealand won three Tests.One-Day Internationals have been played at the respective grounds. This year’s one-day series details are yet to be released.New Zealand’s tour opens in Brisbane with a four-day game with Queensland in Brisbane on November 1. That will be followed by the first Test from November 8-12.A one-day game against the Prime Minister’s XI will follow before the four-day game against South Australia in Adelaide from November 16-19.The second Test is at Hobart from November 22-26 and the third Test at Perth from November 30 to December 4.As South Africa’s tour Test matches begin in mid-December it appears the tri-series of One-Day Internationals will start in January.That could leave New Zealand players available for domestic cricket back in New Zealand before the arrival of the Bangladesh side.

Manchester United host Fulham this evening as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men look to bounce back from back-to-back Premier League defeats.

The Red Devils have already secured a place in the top four and next season’s Champions League group stage, but they’ll be desperate to regain some momentum and form heading into next week’s Europa League final.

United take on Spanish outfit Villarreal in the showpiece event as they look to end the club’s longest trophy drought in over 30 years, however, they must first complete their final two Premier League games of the campaign.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects the Norweigan to line his side up on Sunday evening, with three changes from the side that started against Liverpool last time out…

Dean Henderson keeps his place between the sticks despite a hugely underwhelming display against Jurgen Klopp’s charges where he made multiple mistakes and conceded four goals.

There’s one change along the back four, with Eric Bailly dropping out for the highly-rated Axel Tuanzebe. The 23-year-old has struggled for game time this season, but with Harry Maguire struggling with injury and United conceding six goals in their last two games, the youngster may get another chance to impress.

In midfield, summer-signing Donny van de Beek may be handed his second start in United’s last three games against an already-relegated Fulham side. The former Ajax man has only featured from the off on three occasions in the league this season, and the visit of Scott Parker’s struggling side could be the perfect opportunity to get some more minutes under his belt.

The forward positions are occupied by the usual suspects, but with the £76.5-rated Marcus Rashford continuing to play through the pain barrier, Solskjaer may be tempted to axe his star forward with one eye on the Europa League final.

And, in other news…Major Manchester United transfer update emerges that’ll surely have fans buzzing – opinion

Urdu article

Maria Naureen16-Jun-2001


Ed: Maria Naureen is our correspondent from Karachi, a FM 101 radio talk-show host, cricket radio commentator and sports journalist

A number of Liverpool fans are desperate for the club to sign Ozan Kabak on a permanent deal this summer after he impressed on loan at Anfield.

The Reds’ Premier League season is over for another year, with Jurgen Klopp no doubt a relieved man. His side beat Crystal Palace 2-0 at Anfield on Sunday, not only booking a place in next season’s Champions League but also finishing third in the table.

[freshpress-quiz id=“355458″]

It was a monumental effort by Klopp and his players in the final two months of the campaign, with eight wins and two draws from their last 10 league games highlighting their brilliance.

Someone who came in at the lowest point of the campaign was Kabak, who joined on loan from Schalke 04 in February in order to help ease the centre-back injury crisis.

The defender grew into the role after a shaky start, looking a classy prospect, although it remains unclear whether he will be signed permanently for £18m this summer.

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Liverpool fans call for Kabak to stay

These Liverpool fans responded to a celebratory Twitter post from Kabak on Sunday evening – one which almost felt pointed, in terms of him wanting to stay as he quipped: “Good job team…We are where we belong” – calling for the Turkey international to remain at Anfield.

“It’s the “we” for me. Please keep him”

Credit: @SimplyNate_

“That “we” feels different. Would love to have him with us next season too”

Credit: @SharafJuhayr

“Please keep him”

Credit: @Thiago_SZN

“Sign him. Be stupid not to”

Credit: @nxaim

“I beg we get rid of Phillips for him”

Credit: @lfc_ik4

“Pls sign”

Credit: @jay_ek1

In other news, some Liverpool fans are against the idea of the Reds signing a world-renowned player this summer. Find out who it is here.

For the last two months, it has looked a dead certainty that the new manager of Celtic will be Eddie Howe.

The Hoops hierarchy have been in discussions with the 43-year-old for a considerable period of time now. Advanced discussions were thought to be occurring at the beginning of April but the Bhoys have still yet to appoint a permanent first-team manager.

What’s the word?

Various reports dictate that Howe will indeed be announced as the new Celtic boss in the not too distant future. However, one claim this week may have put fresh doubt over a move for the former Bournemouth manager.

Speaking to talkSPORT, Alex Crook declared: “As I said last week, my understanding is an agreement between Eddie Howe and Celtic has been in place for some time now in terms of the wages, and the contract length.

“The continued delay seems to centre around the furniture around him, for want of a better phrase, in terms of his coaching staff, who’s going to be head of recruitment.”

That was not new information but he did reveal a worrying verdict on why a delay may be ongoing. Crook added: “I’m also told he does have small concerns over the list of transfer targets that he’s been presented with by Celtic. I think, ideally, he would like a slightly bigger budget to try and wrestle back that SPFL title from Rangers.”

Recruitment an issue again

If Celtic can’t get their priorities sorted out, they may have to wave farewell to the notion of Howe becoming the new manager.

The word we’ve received on a constant basis is that he’s waiting to agree terms with a number of the coaching staff at Bournemouth. However, the suggestions that transfer funds and targets are now an issue should be a worrying sign.

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Nick Hammond may have left Parkhead, with Dominic McKay arriving, but it doesn’t appear as though things have improved.

Celtic’s recruitment last summer was nothing short of shambolic. David Turnbull won the club’s Player of the Season award and was undoubtedly worth the money, but other areas of the squad were not strengthened sufficiently.

Albian Ajeti scored just six goals after his £5m move from West Ham United, while Vasilis Barkas has struggled to get in the team after a £4.5m switch. As for Jonjoe Kenny and Diego Laxalt, they were both described as horror shows following Celtic’s Scottish Cup exit at the hands of Rangers.

Howe might be on the verge of arriving but, as this news states, it does not guarantee a change in attitude in the transfer market.

If the recruitment team are still working on signing players who aren’t up to scratch, the 43-year-old would struggle regardless of his methods and philosophy.

Celtic need to hand him a healthy budget and allow him to work his magic in the transfer window. It could have large ramifications for their future if it doesn’t work out.

AND in other news, Forget Ralston: Celtic can finally replace Frimpong with “excellent” unseen 20 y/o…

Tall, burly all-rounder Craig Evans has had a chequered career for Zimbabwe

John Ward25-Apr-2002Tall, burly all-rounder Craig Evans has had a chequered career for Zimbabwe. He played in two unsuccessful Test matches and 49 one-day internationals for Zimbabwe, the last 2½ years ago, with just one fifty and 19 wickets to his credit, and many wrote him off as a talented but undisciplined player who had wasted his ability. But now, at the age of 32, when most Zimbabwean players have hung up their boots, he believes he is in the best form of his career. He hit centuries in each of his four Logan Cup matches for Mashonaland this season, including 210 against Manicaland that enabled this team to win the match after being forced to follow-on. He talks to CricInfo about his achievements.I think this has probably been my best season ever. I think I’ve matured as a player in the longer game, and I hope I can build on that for whatever cricket I may play from now on.I think I’m a lot more circumspect nowadays in choosing what balls I should be playing and what I shouldn’t be playing. Over the last four or five years I’ve been playing too often at balls I shouldn’t have played, and got out. It’s simple, basic cricket that I’m playing now – time at the crease, occupation of the crease – and I think that’s why I’ve scored the runs I have this season. I think my concentration has been more circumspect recently, and that has helped me a lot this season.I think my best innings was the double-hundred I got against Manicaland after being 300 behind and we had to knuckle down. Then at Harare Sports Club on a green pitch I got 163 against Midlands, which was quite a good one as well.At Mutare we put Manicaland in to bat on a flat pitch but we didn’t bowl particularly well, so they ended up getting 513. Guy Whittall batted very well for 247, but we didn’t bat at all well; we gave our wickets away and ended up being bowled out for 226. They then made us follow on, and we ended up getting 506 batting properly in the second innings, and winning the game from there.My personal game plan during my 210 was to leave as many balls as I could and score off the bad balls; I knew I was going to get a bad ball once every over or two. [210 off 274 balls suggests a little more frequently than that!] It’s the normal cricket situation: once you’re in and you settle down, you are going to get a lot more bad balls than when you first come in. I’ve faced stronger bowling, but for me a double-hundred in any form of cricket is still a double-hundred, and this was first-class. I think my highest score before that was 170, and it was quite nice to get a career best near the end of my career.The pitch at the end started to break up a bit and do a little off the seam, and I took six for 37 and we won the game, so that made it a good all-round game for me. The ball scuffed up quite quickly on the deteriorating pitch and it was reversing a bit, so I just concentrated on putting it in the right area and it would do its own thing.My club season for Old Georgians has been very good and I think I’m averaging close to 50. We’ve won the national league in the final, which was quite a good effort. We have a lot of young players at Old Georgians and if we win our next two games in the Vigne Cup I think we’ll end up second, which is quite a good achievement from a club that was nearly going bust.As far as my personal ambitions are concerned, I think I’m now having a last crack at the whip. I’m getting fitter now, I’m starting to lose weight again and play better cricket. I’m going to try to make the World Cup squad and hopefully the World Cup next year. I’ll have to keep on scoring the runs I have been scoring to influence the selectors, though. The more runs I score, the less options they have to leave me out.

Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita could be set for an imminent Anfield exit after failing to produce his best form since arriving on English shores.

What’s the story?

According to Spanish outlet AS (via Sport Witness), the 26-year-old’s agent has offered his client to La Liga giants Atletico Madrid in an attempt to find him a new club this summer.

Keita has two years left to run on his current contract at Liverpool, but injuries and a lack of form (seven goals in 76 appearances) have seriously hampered his progress with Jurgen Klopp’s charges.

Klopp must axe him

The Guinea international joined the Reds in a £52.75m deal from Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig back in 2017 but was allowed to remain at the Red Bull Arena on loan for a further 12 months.

After an encouraging maiden campaign on Merseyside, making 33 appearances in all competitions as Liverpool won the Champions League, Keita has struggled to make an impact since.

A miserly 16 Premier League starts since the beginning of 2019/20 has seen the African star fall down Klopp’s pecking order, although the impending departure of Gini Wijnaldum appeared to bring some fresh hope for the attack-minded maestro.

With the Dutch international set to join Barcelona on a free transfer over the coming months, a sizeable gap in the Liverpool engine room will need filling, and Keita may have been expected to be given a final chance to prove his worth.

However, that prospect now looks unlikely, with reports suggesting the club’s hierarchy are keen to offload a rare expensive flop purchased during their reign.

Atletico manager Diego Simeone is thought to be an admirer of the £120,000-per-week midfielder, and the six-time European champions are keen to take advantage of that admiration.

With Klopp reportedly needing to sell some fringe players to fund a rebuild of his first team squad, the German must ruthlessly axe Keita this summer in order to made improvements to his stuttering Liverpool squad.

Although Keita has put in a handful of top-quality performances over the last three campaigns, those displays have been few and far between, and he’s been unable to perform to the required standard on a consistent basis since his arrival.

Liverpool won’t be able to recoup the fee they paid for the former RB Salzburg man, but he should still fetch a significant price, allowing Klopp to reinvest and catapult his side back towards a title challenge next season.

In other news… Bye-bye Shaq: Liverpool should soon unleash their Shaqiri heir, he’s a “special” gem