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Rashid Latif, the Afghanistan coach, hopes a tournament arranged in Pakistan’s border city of Peshawar will unearth new talent for his side

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Apr-2011Rashid Latif, the Afghanistan coach, hopes a tournament arranged in Pakistan’s border city of Peshawar will unearth new talent for his side. The tournament will feature six teams named after provinces in Afghanistan, with each team featuring three players from the national side.Afghanistan have become the fastest-rising Associate team after refugees escaping years of war fled to Pakistan and discovered a love for cricket. “We are playing a tournament of three-day matches in Peshawar followed by a Twenty20 and then a one-day tournament, and I hope these events will help us find more players,” Latif told .Latif, the former Pakistan wicketkeeper, took over as Afghanistan coach last year and helped them win the four-day ICC Intercontinental Cup, before guiding them to a shock win over Pakistan in the Asian Games Twenty20 semi-finals.In recent years Afghanistan has leapt up to Division One in the World Cricket League, which gave them one-day status, and they have since qualified for the World Twenty20 held in the West Indies last year. Latif hopes that the new tournament will help secure the progress the country has made.”We have also included the Afghanistan Under-19 team so that they can prepare for the qualifying round of the junior World Cup,” Latif said.Afghanistan’s Under-19 team won an Asian qualifying event in the UAE earlier this year and stands a good chance of qualifying for the Under-19 World Cup in Australia next year.Ahmed Taqseem, who is on the Afghanistan Cricket Board’s technical committee, felt the facilities available in Pakistan will help the Afghanistan side develop.”The facilities provided in Peshawar are world-class so playing here will give our players a chance to improve and this is a great help from Pakistan,” he said. “We realise that in order to improve at an international level we need to strengthen our domestic setup and we are endeavouring to do that.”Cricketing relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan are strong, with a six-member delegation from the Afghanistan Cricket Board meeting PCB chairman Ijaz Butt on Friday. Butt pledged that Pakistan would provide any support needed to develop Afghanistan cricket and appointed Amir Nawab as a coordinator for Afghanistan.

Steve Harmison demolished the Warwickshire batting this morning, taking six ofthe seven remaining wickets as Durham wrapped up their third win of the seasonin 10.2 overs

01-Jul-2010
ScorecardSteve Harmison demolished the Warwickshire batting this morning, taking six ofthe seven remaining wickets as Durham wrapped up their third win of the seasonin 10.2 overs.No Durham bowler had previously taken five wickets in a championship inningsthis season, but Harmison finished with 7 for 29, his best county figures,as Warwickshire crumbled from their overnight 111 for 3 to 134 all out in 50minutes.The visitors’ sixth defeat heightened their relegation worries, while Durhamclimbed two places to fifth. Having been 55 points behind Nottinghamshire whenthey lost at Trent Bridge in May they now have the gap down to 19, although theleaders have a game in hand.Harmison’s haul took him past 700 first-class wickets, of which 423 have beenfor Durham. Having missed four of their previous seven games this season withback and ankle injuries, he had only nine championship wickets going into thismatch.Jim Troughton turned the first ball of the day comfortably through mid-wicketfor three, then six wickets went down for six runs. In the day’s third over Harmison had 18-year-old Ateeq Javid lbw for 30, then in the next over Mitch Claydon moved one off the pitch to take out Troughton’soff stump and remove him for 43.Harmison did the rest, all the victims being caught at the wicket or in theslips apart from Boyd Rankin, who was well held by Mark Stoneman at short leg. Andrew Miller batted with a runner because of his foot injury and helped the unbeaten Rikki Clarke put on 14 for the last wicket.

Luke Sutton will return to Derbyshire, one of his former clubs, next season following his decision to leave Lancashire

Cricinfo staff06-Sep-2010Luke Sutton will return to Derbyshire, one of his former clubs, next season following his decision to leave Lancashire.Sutton, 33, spent six seasons at Derbyshire between 2000 and 2005 and took the captaincy in 2004 before moving to Lancashire but admitted he’d always hoped to return.”Derbyshire has played a huge part in my life and I am delighted to come back,” Sutton said. “I came here as a young cricketer, developed quickly during my first stint here, captained the Club and I left with nothing but very warm feelings.”I always had half an eye on wanting to come back and it is very pleasing that it has actually happened,” he added. “The County Ground is a very different place now both on and off the field to when I first arrived in 2000 and the progress that has been made is a real credit to everyone at the club.”Derbyshire is the last club I will play for and it is great to come back to somewhere that has been so good to me and that I have a real passion for.”John Morris, Derbyshire’s head of cricket, said: “Adding a player of Luke’s undoubted quality and experience will be an excellent boost for the team next season. I am doubly pleased with the signing because I know that Derbyshire means a lot to Luke and I believe our members and supporters will be thrilled to see him back.”

Michael Clarke has stated his intention to revive Cameron White’s flat legspin irrespective of the latter’s noticeable lack of commitment to the art

Daniel Brettig in Mirpur08-Apr-2011To call Cameron White a reluctant bowler would be to greatly understate his position. For the past 57 matches of his international career White has been allowed to exist solely as a batsman, having not delivered a ball for Australia since the three he sent down against Scotland in August 2009. But all that changed on Thursday when he delivered four tidy overs against a Bangladesh Cricket Board XI at Fatullah. New captain Michael Clarke has stated his intention to revive White’s flat legspin irrespective of the latter’s noticeable lack of commitment to the art.Xavier Doherty (nine overs, 1 for 45) and Steve Smith (seven overs, none for 49) fared poorly against their modest opposition, leaving Clarke to toy with White, and the brief audition prompted the captain to call White an allrounder. White, though, has always preferred the sobriquet of batsman.”I would love to [get him bowling again], I think he’s got plenty of talent, not only with the bat but with the ball as well [though] he hasn’t bowled much of late for Australia,” Clarke said.”He bowled [four overs] yesterday and bowled really well, so I think his bowling can play a big part going forward in Australia in the shorter form of the game, and I thought yesterday was a good opportunity to get a few overs under his belt.”Addressing White’s reluctance to bowl, never more evident than when leading the Bushrangers, Clarke made a sound case for belief.”I think giving him an opportunity is probably a good start [to building his confidence],” he said. “He’s certainly got the talent, now it’s about getting some overs under his belt so he gradually builds that confidence back in his bowling.”Whitey is an allrounder, he is a batsman who can certainly bowl for us; it’s just about now giving him the opportunity.”That opportunity coincides with an extended run of poor batting form, for it is now 17 matches since White passed 50, or since he managed to clobber the ball with his customary power. Pressed for his spot by David Hussey during the World Cup, he may now be duelling with Smith and Doherty on this tour. Clarke said he expected more from his two specialist slow bowlers.”They’re both two very good bowlers but haven’t played too much in these conditions either, so yesterday was about adjusting to the conditions, he said. “The wicket was quite slow yesterday and had inconsistent turn. Playing in the subcontinent a big part of having success is not only how you face spin but how you bowl spin as well.”I do believe we’ve got talent there with Xavier and young Smithy, White as well; so we’ve got some spin bowling options, hopefully we’ll learn a bit from yesterday and bowl better tomorrow.”

Tottenham Hotspur remain interested in a deal to bring Lautaro Martinez to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a recent Gary Jacob report for The Times, with the journalist claiming that, after seeing a €90m (£75.5m) bid rejected for the Inter Milan centre-forward last summer, Antonio Conte’s side are once again interested in a move for the 24-year-old at the end of the current campaign.

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

Jacob goes on to state that the Serie A side would be willing to part with the Argentina international this summer for a figure between £60m-£70m, however, it is claimed that Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are also keeping tabs on the striker ahead of a potential move of their own.

The final piece of Conte’s puzzle

Considering just how impressive Martinez has been for Inter in recent years, in addition to the fact that Conte already has a relationship with the 24-year-old, it is unsurprising to learn that Tottenham remain interested in a move for the centre-forward this summer.

Indeed, over his 32 Serie A appearances this season, the £101m-rated forward has been in electric form for the Nerazzurri, bagging 17 goals, registering three assists and creating five big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of three shots and making 0.8 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £177k-per-week Argentine average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.01, ranking him as Simone Inzaghi’s 11th-best player in the Italian top flight.

Furthermore, over the 97 fixtures in which Martinez featured for Inter during Conte’s own two-year spell at the San Siro, the centre-forward scored a quite remarkable 40 goals, in addition to providing his teammates with a further 19 assists – averaging a direct involvement in a goal every 116 minutes of football played under the 52-year-old manager.

As such, with Tottenham in rather desperate need of a forward who can provide both competition and backup for Harry Kane this summer, the 24-year-old sensation would very much appear to be a signing the Spurs boss would love to get over the line ahead of Spurs’ 2022/23 campaign – as Martinez could well be one of the final pieces in Conte’s puzzle at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

AND in other news: Conte can now axe “average” £43m dud as Spurs plot £16.75m bid for “young Gareth Bale”

Liverpool suffered a huge injury blow in the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea as Ryan Gravenberch was forced off on a stretcher in the first half.

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Article continues below

Article continues below

Liverpool face Chelsea in Carabao Cup finalGravenberch stretchered off earlyKlopp fuming over Caicedo's challenge(C)Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

The Dutchman's afternoon at Wembley was ended inside the opening half-hour following a late challenge from Chelsea's Moises Caicedo. The summer signing grimaced in pain and could not continue, with Joe Gomez replacing him after 28 minutes. As it became clear the midfielder was set to come off, Reds manager Jurgen Klopp, who was already without the injured Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez, was seen furiously remonstrating with the officials over the tackle, especially as Caicedo escaped a booking. In the end, it didn't matter a great deal to the result as Liverpool won in extra-time thanks to Virgil van Dijk's header.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Liverpool already have a hefty injury list, with the likes of Diogo Jota (knee), Trent Alexander-Arnold (knee), Alisson (thigh), Nunez (knock), and Salah (thigh) currently sidelined. With the Reds, who fielded a youthful bench against Chelsea due to their multiple absentees, aiming for a quadruple in Klopp's last season in charge, another injury blow such as this is far from ideal. The 21-year-old was later seen wearing a protective boot whilst on crutches at full time, so he could be out for a while.

Getty ImagesDID YOU KNOW?

Liverpool, who currently sit top of the Premier League and are vying for Europa League and FA Cup triumphs as well, won the Carabao Cup for a record ninth time in 2022 when they beat Chelsea in the showpiece event. Now with this victory, that has risen to 10.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Following this victory, Liverpool are in FA Cup action on Wednesday when they host Championship side Southampton at Anfield, whereas Chelsea entertain Premier League hopefuls Leeds United in the same competition that very night.

Younis Khan reminded Pakistan just what they had been missing as his 17th Test hundred guided them to safety on the final day in Dubai

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Nov-2010Younis Khan reminded Pakistan just what they had been missing as his 17th Test hundred guided them to safety on the final day in Dubai. Together with another returnee, the new captain Misbah-ul-Haq, the pair combined to defy South Africa for 57 overs, sharing an unbroken stand of 186 to pull off a result which looked unlikely after Pakistan conceded a 132 first-innings deficit.Shorn of Younis’ services since July last year, the brittle Pakistan line-up have struggled against Australia and England but his resilience alongside Misbah, playing his first Test since the Sydney debacle, ensured a satisfying return. Younis will rightly take the plaudits, anchoring the rearguard with third hundred against South Africa but, as Misbah himself acknowledged, it was the he who was under most scrutiny.”This feels like a win. The team put in a wonderful effort under pressure,” he said. “I was under quite a bit of pressure before this Test but I think my performance today will make it easier for me.”Pakistan’s first-innings collapse from 176 for 2 to 248 all out underlines just how important Misbah’s contribution was, all the more so given that the next man in was Umar Akmal. It ensured that the “fresh start” Misbah promised on the eve of the game ended well and he singled out praise for his partner. “On the second day the bowlers brought us back into the game the plan today was to be positive and not just try to stick it out. Younis’ knock today was a special one.”Returning as the senior batsman in a volatile side, Younis could have been forgiven for feeling the burden of responsibility. Yet after a cautious start his increasingly expansive and certain strokeplay betrayed a man just relieved to be back where he belongs.”There wasn’t any pressure on us because the wicket here is different to those in the subcontinent,” he said. “It didn’t have the kind of uneven bounce that causes the ball to bounce up off the pads. On this wicket it was possible to bat positively and that’s what I was trying to do. I was trying to hit the bad balls for boundaries.”Both batsmen, impressive as they were, had some generous South African fielding to thank. Younis was put down twice, on 16 by Mark Boucher and again by Jacques Kallis when on 70, and Misbah got a slice of luck when Hashim Amla spilled a chance at short leg just before lunch.It meant another final-innings disappointment for South Africa after twice being denied by England last year but on a flat track Graeme Smith was happy enough with his side’s performance.”We knew it was going to be hard because on this wicket once the batsmen get in it was tough to get them out,” he said. “The wicket got slower and slower as the Test went on. Credit must go to Pakistan, especially to Younis, he played really well.”Missed chances are always costly but nobody does it on purpose. It was unusual for those guys to miss those chances because they have been stalwarts of the team for a long time. So obviously they are disappointed with that. But we’ve played good positive cricket throughout the game and we’ll take that into Abu Dhabi.”

Australia are pleased with how Doug Bollinger and Michael Hussey fared in the training session, but the fast bowler is not a sure starter for the first Test

Sidharth Monga in Chandigarh29-Sep-2010The Australian team management is largely pleased with how Doug Bollinger and Michael Hussey fared in the training session, but the fast bowler is not a sure starter for the first Test that begins on Friday. Bollinger and Hussey joined the team just two days before the Test, after returning from their successful Champions League Twenty20 campaign with Chennai Super Kings in South Africa.”We just talked about it from the start that Michael and Doug wouldn’t be here till a certain stage,” Tim Nielsen, Australia’s coach, said. “When that changed, we pushed it back. Everybody is understanding [of that]. We just let them [Bollinger and Hussey] know upfront that if they are fit, they are more than likely to take their place in the team. We have to make the right decision, not only on their getting a spot, but [make sure] they are physically and mentally and technically right to play.”So we will have another look at them tomorrow, and make sure they are ready to go.”Nielsen said the uncertainty centered more on Bollinger than Hussey. He was pleased with how the fast bowler had got through his short bowling stint today, but how he performed tomorrow would be the big test. “It’s not as if he was sitting on a beach on his bum, he has been playing cricket. He has got some miles in his legs. [However], he certainly hasn’t had six-seven-over spells two or three times a day.”Bollinger bowled in the nets for about 20 minutes, and was seen working with the physio. “They are a little bit behind time wise,” Nielsen said. “They are in pretty good place today, we will probably know more tomorrow morning. But at this moment, they have had a bat and a bowl today, and at this stage we are pretty positive about them.”Peter George, who played in the tour game against the Board President’s XI, could make his Test debut if Bollinger is not picked. Nielsen had positive things to say about the tall fast bowler. “Peter George did a good job in the practice match, especially in the first innings. Admittedly he came on to bowl when we had already taken two or three wickets. So it was a little bit easier for him, and things didn’t work out that well from results’ point of view in the second innings when they batted nicely.”The thing we know him about him is that he runs in, he is consistent with his pace, and we like to think he is a bit like McGrath in his action and in the bounce he extracts. He is not an express fast bowler, but he has got enough pace to make the ball bounce off a length. Most importantly he runs in all day to try the right thing for the captain. Given the opportunity he will do a very good job at Test level.”Last year, too, when Australia toured India for a seven-ODI series, they had a similar situation. Brett Lee, Bollinger and Nathan Hauritz joined the team on the eve of an early-morning start. Lee lasted just one match then. “We talked about it right from the start,” Nielsen said. “There is no running away from these things. It could have been the captain if he was playing for a Champions League team.”It’s harder and throws a little bit more chaos in the system when somebody has a late injury or somebody is ill late in the last couple of days leading up to the Test. Your plans are set, you have a kind of idea in your head what players are going to play, then somebody gets hurt late… We understand what we had with Doug and Huss [ Hussey]. Yes, this is not ideal preparation, but this is the modern world of cricket.”They play for different franchises, for different teams, and their countries. That’s what we have to deal with. I suppose this is where we’ve got to earn our money. We have got to make sure that they are as close to their best as possible, come Friday.”

MS Dhoni has asked for Tests to be played at venues that have a history of supporting Test cricket with big attendances

Sidharth Monga at the Chinnaswamy Stadium13-Oct-2010MS Dhoni has asked for Tests to be played at venues that have a history of supporting the format with big attendances, and has appreciated the support received from the Bangalore crowd during the course of India’s victory against Australia. Of India’s 10 Test venues – Hyderabad being the newest – Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Mohali and to an extent Delhi are known for their lukewarm response to Test cricket.”Maybe some of these centres where people come up to see Test matches can be given preference over some other centres where people don’t come in large numbers to watch Test matches,” Dhoni said. “After all, if taken in the right sense, we are the performers in the circus, but you need the circus to be full. It [this comment] should be taken in the right sense.”Dhoni and his men liked what they saw in Bangalore. Three of the days – the weekend and the final day – were almost sold out. “It really helps the players who are on the field,” Dhoni said. “Frankly speaking, in the 45th or 50th over, when the fast bowler comes for his second or third spell, it’s the crowd that gets him going, apart from the fact that he is supposed to do well for the team and the country. You need some kind of a motivation, and especially because we’re used to playing IPL and ODIs in front of 30000 or 40000 or 50000 people, you want that kind of a crowd.”Throughout the last five days, the spectators have been India’s 12th man. They cheered every special effort by the Indians, appealed when the bowler appealed, got off their seats when Sachin Tendulkar and other batsmen played good strokes, and appreciated every good effort by the fielders. Some of them booed the Australians, but many were appreciative.”It was a remarkable crowd,” Dhoni said. “Throughout the five days there were good crowds, and on the final day it was literally house full. You could see as many people in the stands as in a Twenty20 or ODI match. They supported good cricket more than anything else.”They did get their money’s worth. Not only did they watch their home side complete a clean sweep against Australia, they saw Tendulkar go level with Virender Sehwag as the Indian with the most double-centuries; they saw Cheteshwar Pujara, the debutant, play an innings he wouldn’t mind as his epitaph; they saw M Vijay, a stylish batsman, add substance to his game at Test level; they saw Ricky Ponting bat beautifully but fall disappointingly short; they saw Zaheer Khan and Ben Hilfenhaus create wickets on flat pitches. The Indian team thanked the crowd with a deserved lap of the ground.

Andrew Strauss believes Michael Clarke has the tactical acumen to cope with the challenge of captaining Australia in Sydney, but warns that he’ll find it hard to lead in the long term unless he regains his batting form

Andrew Miller02-Jan-2011Andrew Strauss believes that his new opposite number, Michael Clarke, has the tactical acumen to cope with the challenge of captaining Australia in the fifth Test in Sydney, but warns that he’ll find it hard to lead from the front in the long term unless he regains the batting form that has deserted him since the tour of New Zealand in March.Strauss knows from personal experience how invigorating the captaincy can be for a batsman – his average when leading the side in 31 Tests rises to 46.60, compared to an overall mark of 43.02. But Clarke has inherited the role with his form in the doldrums. He has made 148 runs at 21.14 in the series to date, and has made just one hundred in his last 35 innings in all international cricket – although that unbeaten 111 at Visakhapatnam did come while captaining the one-day side in Ricky Ponting’s absence in India back in October.”It’s a lot tougher,” admitted Strauss. “You have the double whammy of the side not playing well and if you’re not playing well either, there’s almost not enough time of the day to think about why you’re not playing well and pick yourself up. But it’s always temporary. If you’re a good player, personal form is not going to desert you for too long. And you usually come out of the other side.”With Ponting ruled out of the Test with a broken finger, Clarke is set to become Australia’s 43rd Test captain, despite having never previously led a team in first-class cricket. Strauss, however, who cut his teeth as Middlesex’s skipper long before he was handed the England job, said it was not a necessary pre-requisite.”Captaining in a Test is very different to captaining a first-class game,” he said. “Clarke has long been earmarked as a captain, and by all accounts, tactically he is pretty good. As I found though, you have to learn on the job and you have to learn reasonably quickly. People sink or swim. It is like your Test debut. People either stand up and deliver or it becomes difficult. Clarke has delivered plenty of times with the bat so he is in a position to do well.”From Strauss’s point of view, it makes no difference who lines up alongside him for the toss on Monday morning. “It is a big day for Clarke coming in and captaining a Test match but from our point of view we know the formula that has worked for us and it is important to adopt that again, and maybe, make any slight changes that we need to for the Sydney wicket. We won’t worry too much about what is happening in their camp. There is an opportunity for them to play with a bit more freedom, so we have to be on our game.”There are sure to be nerves aplenty in the Australian dressing-room, with two Test debutants lining up for Clarke’s first match in charge. But despite the confidence in the England camp at present, Strauss insisted that they would play their opponents on merit – particularly the left-arm spinner, Michael Beer, who is set to become Australia’s 10th slow bowler in Test cricket since Shane Warne’s retirement on this ground in January 2007.”We will play the situation and if there is an opportunity to be positive I would like our batsmen to take that,” said Strauss. “If he is bowling well and there is turn for him we have to be respectful. Generally it is important that you don’t play the man but play the ball coming down at you. It will be just the same for Beer and any of their seamers.”