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A century by Thami Tsolekile and lower order resistance helped South Africa A post a commanding 482 on the second day in Mirpur

Cricinfo staff30-Apr-2010
ScorecardA century by Thami Tsolekile and lower order resistance helped South Africa A post a commanding 482 on the second day in Mirpur. Bangladesh A made a steady reply, with half-centuries by Shamsur Rahman and Nazimuddin, but two quick wickets late in the day gave South Africa the edge.Resuming on 360 for 5, the visitors lost Riley Roussouw for 81 with no addition to their overnight score. Tsolekile reached his century off 156 balls and added 33 with Vernon Philander before he fell for 111, bowled by Faisal Hossain. It took a while for Bangladesh to wrap up the innings as Philander and capable lower-order batsman Paul Harris added a quick 56 for the eighth wicket. Harris hit four fours and three sixes to frustrate Bangladesh in his 39. The last two wickets added another 33 runs after Harris’ departure, as Philander remained unbeaten on 39. Noor Hossain added one more wicket to his tally to finish with 4 for 146 in 40 overs.Bangladesh got off to a poor start, losing Shahriar Nafees in the second over. Nazimuddin and Shamsur added 106 for the second wicket to lend some stability, but Bangladesh suddenly lost two wickets for no run in one over by Harris. He got rid of Nazimuddin and Raqibul Hasan, but Bangladesh still had their well-set captain Shamsur at the crease on 53.

Danish Kaneria, who was arrested last month on suspicion of involvement in spot-fixing, is free to play for Essex and Pakistan this summer after the ECB confirmed his registration would not be suspended unless he is proven guilty

Cricinfo staff07-Jun-2010Danish Kaneria, who was arrested last month on suspicion of involvement in spot-fixing, is free to play for Essex and Pakistan this summer after the ECB confirmed his registration would not be suspended unless he is proven guilty.Kaneria and Essex team-mate Mervyn Westfield were arrested “on suspicion of conspiracy to commit fraud” but had not been charged. There were newspaper reports suggesting the ECB had moved to suspend both players on the mistaken belief that they had been charged.Keneria has denied any role in spot-fixing and will be with Essex until the end of the month, when he will link-up with Pakistan, who are due to play two Tests against Australia and four against England this summer.With 254 wickets from 58 Tests, Kaneria is Pakistan’s senior spinner but his career was thrown into uncertainty when news broke of his alleged involvement in irregularities during a Pro40 game for Essex against Durham last September.

Aston Villa are keen on signing Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Yves Bissouma, according to Sky Sports.

As to be expected, a number of Villa fans have been giving their thoughts to the news on social media.

The Midlands club have already finalised their first marquee addition of the January transfer window by agreeing on a loan deal with Barcelona for Philippe Coutinho.

Steven Gerrard and Johan Lange now appear to be turning their attention to a holding midfielder, with Marvelous Nakamba recently undergoing knee surgery.

Bissouma has just 18 months remaining on his contract with the Seagulls, with Villa seemingly willing to take advantage of that situation this month. The 25-year-old has been with Brighton since 2018 and has made 111 appearances for the club, 15 of which have come in the current campaign.

The Mali international is renowned for his effective distribution of the ball and his tough-tackling nature. No player who has started a top-flight match for Villa this season can better his 88.8% passing success rate, while his match average of 3.6 tackles is well clear of anyone in Gerrard’s squad (John McGinn leads the way with 2.7 per game).

Villa fans react

Well-known Twitter feed @villareport shared Sky Sports’ claim regarding Villa’s interest in Bissouma on the social media website.

Here is what these supporters had to say in reply, with many buzzing over the development and one describing a potential deal as ‘huge’.

“OH MY, STEVIE IS GOING CRAZY.”

Credit: @Jack_Hurley_R

“If we get him, wow”

Credit: @GW_94

“We are huge, man”

Credit: @TommmForddd

“Incredible if we pull this off as well”

Credit: @jack_gatehouse

“PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Would have a bigger impact on the team overall than Coutinho”

Credit: @trading2b3

“DON GERRARD WHAT IS GOING ON”

Credit: @Finleysurrell1

In other news: ‘Oh my god’ – Many Villa fans erupt at who West Ham now want to sign

Aston Villa confirmed the signing of defender Kerr Smith from Dundee United on Friday.

As to be expected, a number of Villa fans were quick to react to the news on social media.

The club have already bolstered their senior ranks this month with the signings of Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne and have now added to their academy with the acquisition of Smith, subject to international clearance.

The 17-year-old, who has already made 12 senior appearances for Dundee United and has “all the potential in the world” according to his ex-Terrors boss Tam Courts, will seemingly slot straight into his new club’s under-23 side, with Villa announcing the transfer as an academy one.

The length of the teenager’s contract at Bodymoor Heath remains to be seen, with an initial fee thought to be £864,000, but you’d expect that he’ll slot into centre-back under Mark Harrison alongside summer signing Josh Feeney.

Villa fans react

Here is what these Villa supporters had to say in reply to Dundee United’s Twitter confirmation of the transfer, with many Villans happy and one labelling it as a ‘massive’ coup.

“Another exciting acquisition to the #avfc Academy. Another one for the future!”

Credit: @gnethercottpga

“Massive – and I do mean massive potential.”

Credit: @VillaViews_

“Another one for the future”

Credit: @_JackAvfc

“Absolute unit incoming. Highly thought of, I know Utd and Liverpool been watching him for a while. He looks such a big lad already for 17, two good feet as well, loves to ping it cross-field from what I’ve seen. Gary Mac and @jmcginn7 here with him too should help him settle”

Credit: @MattyD54244799

“Delighted to get more young talent in at Villa but no Scottish team be able to hold onto the best young players because of money and that’s the fact and why the Scottish league will always struggle …even when Prem League don’t take the best talent, Celtic or Rangers will”

Credit: @tempovilla2006

“This is a great investment!!!”

Credit: @TheChaoticAdv

In other news: ‘Oh my’ – Many Villa fans react as defensive midfielder chase now ‘hotting up’

Bangladesh will assess their captaincy situation following the one-day series against England after Shakib Al Hasan asked for a break from leadership duties

Andrew McGlashan at Lord's05-Jul-2010Bangladesh will assess their captaincy situation following the one-day series against England after Shakib Al Hasan asked for a break from leadership duties as he struggled to combine all his roles. Mashrafe Mortaza is captain for the limited-overs matches, but coach Jamie Siddons hinted that Shakib was his preferred choice to guide the team into next year’s World Cup.Mortaza has only recently returned from a long-term knee injury which limited his participation during England’s tour of Bangladesh earlier this year to one disappointing ODI appearance. However, he has resumed the captaincy position that was his when he broke down in West Indies last July during the side’s famous victory at Kingstown.Shakib’s form has tailed off in recent months since he became the game’s leading allrounder. He averaged 13 with the bat in the Test series against England earlier in the season, although did manage eight wickets – including a five-wicket return at Old Trafford – with his left-arm spin, and followed that by scoring just 52 runs in three innings at the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka.”Shakib was the main person behind the decision, he decided it was a bit much for him,” Siddons told Cricinfo. “His form was down with the bat and he needed a rest. Mashrafe was always going to come into the one-day side so it was a perfect chance for him to take the reins.”We’ll see how it goes after this tour, I think Shakib is ideally suited to the captaincy particularly leading into the World Cup but if Mash performs with the ball – and that’s his big challenge – he may be a good choice as well. If Shakib gets into form we may stick with it.”One good piece of news for Shakib as he strives to regain form is the absence of Graeme Swann, who has been rested for the series. Swann has dismissed Shakib five times in seven innings and it hadn’t escaped Siddons’ notice that the offspinner wouldn’t be around. “He’s been a thorn in our side so I’m happy to see him out and I’m sure Shakib is happy to see him gone,” he said.It is a gamble to put Mortaza back in the captaincy hot seat because he is still feeling his way back into the side and, although he remains the country’s leading pace bowler, he certainly isn’t the threat of a few years ago. Siddons, while backing Mortaza for the three ODIs which start on Thursday, added that it was vital he justified his position in the team.”The body I think will get through it’s just the form and the performance,” he said. “I think he’s dropped a yard of pace so we’ll have to see how he goes against the big boys. England certainly won’t hold back on him so we’ll see how he stands up. If he swings the ball he’ll be fine.”England will be expected to collect another whitewash in the one-day series, but Siddons warned that his team can pull off a surprise. They should have won the second match in Dhaka earlier in the year but couldn’t stop Eoin Morgan, and the visitors will look to Tamim Iqbal to continue his form from the Tests where he scored two thrilling hundreds.”If Tamim goes off in any of these three one-day games England are in a whole heap of trouble,” Siddons said. “We can put on a big score if the other guys bat around him. Anything is possible. Each time I speak to him he is learning more about the game. He will get out silly sometimes, but he is the bloke who sets up big scores which win matches. I won’t be pulling him back.”One man who has returned to the squad, although is unlikely to feature at the start of the series after Siddons said the batting line-up which piled up 301 for 7 against Middlesex was his No. 1 choice, is 22-year-old Raqibul Hasan who stormed out of the squad on the eve of the first Test in Chittagong.”There was a bit of a battle to get him back in, but he’s one of our really good up-and-coming young players,” Siddons said. “He needs to stay in this group to develop, a bit like Jahurul [Islam] who has just come in and is developing. It’s great to have Raqibul back and to see Jahurul making runs – they are the future of Bangladesh.”We have to keep them. Both of them are potentially world-class players and down the track should be there for years to come when Bangladesh come good.”

Despite a battling performance on Saturday afternoon, David Moyes’ West Ham United side ultimately left Old Trafford empty-handed, with Manchester United scoring a gutting 93rd-minute winner with the last kick of the game.

In truth, it was far from the Hammers’ best performance of the season, but with neither side grabbing the fixture by the scruff of its neck, a goalless share of the spoils would have perhaps been the fairest outcome of a game which will not be high on Match of the Day‘s running order tonight.

In terms of individual performances, aside from the astonishingly consistent Declan Rice and an impressive return to the starting XI from Kurt Zouma, none of Moyes’ side particularly covered themselves in glory, with Aaron Cresswell, Pablo Fornals and Manuel Lanzini all enduring something of an afternoon to forget.

However, it will undoubtedly be the latter of this trio who is most disappointed with his display at Old Trafford. If this was the 28-year-old’s big chance to stake his claim in the number 10 role, he certainly did not take it.

Lost 87.5% duels

Indeed, over his 90 minutes on the Old Trafford pitch, Lanzini was largely anonymous, often being rushed while on the ball and appearing to cede possession more often than not.

This is reflected in the £9m-rated midfielder’s statistics, with Lanzini failing with all three of his attempted dribbles, losing possession of the ball on 10 separate occasions and not finding his man with his one attempted cross.

The £70k-per-week Argentina international also failed to do the hard graft in what was a generally defensive performance by the Irons, losing seven of eight nine duels – a failure rate of 87.5% – winning just one tackle and being dribbled past by an opponent once.

These returns saw the 28-year-old earn a very disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.1, ranking him not only as West Ham’s worst performer on the day but also as the worst from either team.

As such, with Said Benrahma likely to be available for selection after the upcoming international break following Algeria’s elimination from the Africa Cup of Nations, Lanzini certainly did nothing at Old Trafford to convince his manager that he should retain his spot in the starting XI ahead of the returning forward in the future.

In other news: Moyes must now launch West Ham bid for £46k-p/w “phenomenon” as key transfer twist emerges

Matabeleland Tuskers have dropped batsmen Mark Vermeulen and Dion Ebrahim from their set-up during Zimbabwe’s off-season.

Cricinfo staff08-Jul-2010Matabeleland Tuskers have dropped batsmen Mark Vermeulen and Dion Ebrahim from their set-up during Zimbabwe’s off-season.”Dion Ebrahim and Mark Vermeulen do not fit into our plans for next season, they still wanted to play for us but we did not have them in our plans,” Stanley Staddon, Tuskers’ chief executive told a local newspaper. “We have informed the two players when there is still time for them to find new employers before the start of the season.”Ebrahim, who is currently playing club cricket in England, was Tuskers’ leading runscorer in the Logan Cup last season, with 746 runs at 46.62, but now finds himself without a franchise. Vermeulen’s season was more patchy, however, and issues over his discipline and behaviour also resurfaced.It was also reported that Tuskers, who are looking to reverse their fortunes after disappointing results in all three formats last season, are hoping to sign Warwickshire allrounder Neil Carter for Zimbabwe’s domestic Twenty20 competition. They will also have a new coach, with Dave Houghton taking over from Robin Brown.

Marcus North’s 6 for 55 was the best bowling by an Australian spinner in a Test innings at the home of cricket

Brydon Coverdale18-Jul-2010When Shahid Afridi was asked after the Lord’s Test what he thought of Marcus North’s bowling, he screwed up his face, looked away and tried not to laugh. As compliments go, it could have been more convincing. North doesn’t care. He described it as one of the highlights of his career to help Australia win a Test and earn a place on the bowling honour board at Lord’s, alongside his batting colleague Shane Watson.If that wasn’t proof enough that the natural order had been turned upside-down, North’s 6 for 55 was the best bowling by an Australian spinner in a Test innings at the home of cricket. Shane Warne couldn’t match it, nor Clarrie Grimmett, nor Arthur Mailey, although none of them had the luxury of bowling to Pakistan at Lord’s.”I don’t feel like I deserve that, to be honest,” North said. “There have been some amazing bowlers over the years who have had some great bowling performances at Lord’s. I certainly would like to have that six-for against England. But it was a great occasion to play at a neutral venue against Pakistan at Lord’s.”Afridi’s wicket was the ultimate bonus for a bowler – from his fourth delivery he tried to launch North onto Cavendish Avenue, only to find the fielder at deep midwicket. It wasn’t all luck for North and his dismissal of Umar Akmal, who cut to slip when he was surprised by turn and extra bounce from the rough outside off stump, was memorable.Things went North’s way as soon as Ricky Ponting handed him the ball ahead of Steven Smith on the fourth day. With two left-handers at the crease, Ponting wanted the ball turning away from them, but with his first delivery North drifted the ball down leg side and had Salman Butt stumped thanks to an excellent piece of glovework from Tim Paine.”I’m as surprised as you guys,” North said. “It felt like the ball was coming out okay. There are times it has come out better, but I haven’t had too many opportunities at this level. An opportunity to contribute with the ball is something that I love to do. Getting the ball thrown to me and having the opportunity to help win a Test match for Australia is certainly one of the highlights of my career.”North’s first six-for in first-class cricket helped him forget about a disappointing match with the bat, after he was bowled for a duck in the first innings and caught behind for 20 in the second. North is coming off a century and a 90 in Australia’s last series, on their tour of New Zealand, but his tendency to make triple or single figures, with not a lot in between, is a slight concern.”In general with batters the first 20 or 30 balls are pretty important,” he said. “My record shows it’s very important for me. It’s something that I’m very aware of. I don’t think it’s a nervous thing. I’m no more nervous than anyone else. It’s something that I’ve been trying to work on my whole career, it’s not just since I’ve been playing for Australia.”It’s a habit that means he is constantly under the microscope, for even if he has scored recent hundreds a string of very low scores is not a good look for a No. 6 batsman. Speculation over his place in the team intensified during the Australian home season, but his efforts in New Zealand eased the pressure.”That’s something I’ve learnt a lot during the Australian summer, where there is that scrutiny,” North said of dealing with media criticism. “I’ve learnt ways and techniques to filter that. But in New Zealand it was rewarding for me not just to get through that scrutiny but as a mental challenge as well, dealing with that side of things for the first time is rewarding for me.”At least the next Test is being played at a venue with happy memories for North. At Headingley last year, his 110 helped Australia to an innings victory over England and earned him the Man of the Match award. He’d love to remind people he’s a batsman first, bowler second.

Manchester United have not made any signings as of yet in the January transfer window, but there has been plenty of speculation with a number of players linked with a move to the club this month, and one of those touted to arrive could be the perfect replacement for Paul Pogba if he does not commit to a future at Old Trafford this summer.

What’s the word?

Journalist, Conor Clancy, has given his perspective on Sergej Milinković-Savić being linked to Manchester United, and the effect he could have on the side, hailing the Lazio midfielder “another Paul Pogba”.

Clancy told GIVEMESPORT:

“I think Milinkovic-Savic is just another Paul Pogba in that they’ve got the same skill set. They’re physically quite similar. When they’ve got the ball at their feet, they’re capable of doing similar things.”

Milinkovic-Savic has been linked this month with a move to Man United, as Rangnick comes under pressure to improve the side, but no official bid has been made for the player as of yet.

Ralf must seal the signing

The £63m-rated beast could surely cure the Pogba headache Manchester United are facing with his contract ending in the summer of this year, and fans would welcome the signing of the midfielder, with one Red Devils fan tweeting;

“@ManUtd why are we not targeting Milinkovic-Savic this window. He looks like the perfect match to a rather subdued midfield.”

The Lazio midfielder is enjoying an impressive campaign so far in his 21 games, scoring seven goals, registering eight assists from a whopping total of 31 key passes and an 82.5% pass success. As a consequence of that, the 26-year-old has claimed the most assists in the Serie A this season.

According to Squawka, when you compare the Serbian to Pogba in their last full season for their respective clubs, the 2020/21 campaign, Milinkovic-Savic scored five more goals, converted more of his chances, bagged six more assists, created a higher degree of chances and completed more passes than the 28-year-old United midfielder.

It’s fair to say that he would not only be a good replacement but could potentially be an upgrade at Old Trafford, and Rangnick should not ignore how well the Lazio midfielder is playing right now, and how his influence could inject a fresh perspective into his currently underwhelming side.

In other news: Rangnick prepared to make offer for Araujo

Hampshire opener Jimmy Adams and team-mate James Vince both plundered unbeaten centuries as Yorkshire took a pounding on the third day of the County Championship match at Scarborough

25-Aug-2010
ScorecardHampshire opener Jimmy Adams and team-mate James Vince both plundered unbeaten centuries as Yorkshire took a pounding on the third day of the County Championship match at Scarborough.It was a maiden century for talented teenager Vince, who is developing a batting style similar to that of Michael Vaughan, while it was the latest in a line of good scores by Adams against Yorkshire. He first made his mark at Headingley in 2006 by converting his maiden century into an unbeaten 168 as Hampshire successfully chased down a 404 target and he went on to add a further five half-centuries before his latest effort.By close of play, Adams (162) and 19-year-old Vince (122) had put on an unbroken 215 for the fourth wicket to propel Hampshire to 367 for 3 and give them a first innings lead of 45.Hampshire began the day on eight without loss and Yorkshire had Richard Pyrah in their side as replacement for Tim Bresnan, who had joined up with his England team-mates at Lord’s.Ajmal Shahzad and Steve Patterson shared the attack but did little to trouble either Adams or Michael Carberry and the other pace bowlers were generally ineffective. Yorkshire turned for a while to the spin of Adil Rashid and Adams helped himself to two fours in his first over to complete a half-century which contained 11 boundaries.The century stand was reached in 31 overs but just before lunch it was Pyrah who split the pair by having Carberry caught at second slip by Anthony McGrath for 40.Adams and Chris Benham continued to make life difficult for Yorkshire in the afternoon until Shahzad produced an almost unplayable delivery which hit the top of Benham’s off-stump and Patterson then responded at the other end by forcing Neil McKenzie to chop into his stumps without scoring.Any thoughts of a batting collapse quickly disappeared, however, as Vince joined Adams in a massive stand which saw Adams go to his century shortly before tea. He had faced 194 balls and struck 17 fours.McGrath, who bowled a brief spell of off-spin before the interval, reverted to his normal medium pace and when Adams was 108 he got a bottom edge which wicketkeeper Gerard Brophy could not quite hold on to.Vince’s 50 came off 64 balls with eight fours and he registered his career-best score when he cruised past 75. Adams had a couple of run-out scares at the non-striker’s end when returning to his crease and Vince survived a leaping attempt by Pyrah at backward point but otherwise the batsmen were in charge and Hampshire went calmly into the lead.Consecutive boundaries by Vince off Pyrah hurried him to his maiden century off 128 balls with 15 fours and he celebrated by waving his bat ecstatically in response to the ovation from his team-mates and the 4,700 crowd.Runs then continued to flow as the bowlers toiled without reward, with Hampshire holding the upper hand when the game goes into its final day.