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United Arab Emirates completed a comfortable five-wicket victory over the United States of America in their World Twenty20 Qualifier warm-up game at Sharjah.

Cricinfo staff05-Feb-2010
Scorecard
United Arab Emirates completed a comfortable five-wicket victory over the United States of America in their World Twenty20 Qualifier warm-up game in Sharjah. A middle-order collapse meant USA could only muster 134 for 8, and after opener Mohammad Iqbal’s brutal 43 the target was chased down with 11 balls to spare.USA had looked set for a large total after Sushil Nadkarni and Carl Wright put on 64 in the first eight overs. Nadkarni, who has a reputation as a prolific batsman in American cricket, blazed his way to a half-century, but his dismissal by Fayyaz Ahmed sparked a disastrous collapse as seven wickets fell for only 25 runs in the second half of the innings.Ahmed grabbed three wickets in four balls – including the captain Steve Massiah and Sudesh Dhaniram for first-ball ducks – while Ahmed Raza and Shadeep Silva ensured there would be no fightback from the lower order. Orlando Baker’s breezy cameo took the score past 130, but USA would have been hoping for 30 to 40 more runs after the bright start to their innings.UAE’s reply got off to a brisk start courtesy of Iqbal. He smashed six boundaries, including three sixes, to take the pressure off his opening partner, Arfan Haider, who played a far more sedate innings before he was dismissed by Imran Awan. Iqbal was run out in the same over, but calm innings from Saqib Ali and captain Khurram Khan ensured there would be no repeat of USA’s collapse.Timroy Allen, the young Jamaican-born fast bowler, struck twice in the 18th over to remove Khan and Ahmed, but by then the result was all but sealed. These two teams meet again at Abu Dhabi in two days time for their second warm-up game before the World Twenty20 Qualifiers begin on February 9.

South Africa’s coach, Mickey Arthur, believes that Duncan Fletcher’s insight into the England dressing-room could be a vital factor for the forthcoming Test and ODI series

Cricinfo staff18-Nov-2009South Africa’s coach, Mickey Arthur, believes that Duncan Fletcher’s insight into the England dressing-room could be a vital factor for the forthcoming Test and ODI series, after he linked up with the South Africa squad in Potchefstroom on Tuesday to resume his role as a batting and tactical consultant.Fletcher coached England for seven years up until 2007, and guided the team to unprecedented success in that time, including six series wins in a row leading into the 2005 Ashes. He led England on two tours to South Africa, starting with his maiden series in charge in 1999-2000 and culminating in a memorable 2-1 triumph five years’ later.During England’s warm-up match against South Africa A at Potchefstroom, however, Fletcher could be seen sitting in the stands alongside the South Africa chairman of selectors, and afterwards Arthur was delighted to speculate about the nuggets of information that will be divulged in the coming weeks.”I think Duncan’s voice in the dressing room just before a series against England is going to be brilliant,” Arthur told reporters after the match. “He’s with us until the second ODI and then he comes in five days before the first Test match, and he works with our Test squad until the end of the first Test.”Fletcher performed a similar role for South Africa on their historic tour of Australia in December and January last year, when they won their first series in the country since the end of Apartheid. “It’s a no-brainer really,” said Arthur. “When we signed Duncan last year we signed him for the Australian series, especially the one in Australia, and obviously thinking of the England series.”He flew in today and worked with us in a training session this morning. I brought him to Potch because we wanted to discuss a couple of things. It’s great having his knowledge around. I always think you need to keep refreshing, you need to keep stimulating the environment and the players. And we’ve done that by bringing in different voices at crucial times.”Although England’s squad is significantly different from last time Fletcher was in charge, during the 2007 World Cup, many of the key personnel were among his stalwarts, not least the captain, Andrew Strauss, and Paul Collingwood, whom Fletcher first selected in the summer of 2001.”The simple fact is he knows a few of us pretty well,” Collingwood told Cricinfo. “He knows our characters pretty well, but his main asset is his technical brilliance. He knows our techniques pretty well and I’m sure he will give some tips to the South Africans. But our technique and mentality towards the game probably changes all the time, so that’s a way to combat them when we come out and play our cricket in the middle.””I don’t know how he’s going to feel,” said Arthur, when asked if Fletcher would feel awkward about revealing inside information, “but Duncan brings a lot to us.”

Manchester United slumped to their seventh defeat of the campaign as Watford ran out 4-1 winners at Vicarage Road in today’s Premier League clash, piling even more pressure on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The Red Devils almost went behind just minutes into the game after Scott McTominay clumsily brought down Josh King inside the 18-yard box, Ismaila Sarr had both of his penalties saved by David de Gea after the first one had to be retaken due to encroachment.

King soon made up for his teammate’s error, though, slotting in his fourth goal in as many games to give the Hornets a deserved lead just before the half-hour mark. Sarr doubled the home side’s lead prior to the half-time interval, giving United a mountain to climb in the second half.

In response to their dismal opening 45 minutes, Solskjaer introduced Donny van de Beek and Anthony Martial at the interval, and it didn’t long for the former to make his mark on proceedings.

A Cristiano Ronaldo knockdown was slotted home by Van de Beek to give the Red Devils a glimpse of hope, but that optimism was wiped out when the struggling Harry Maguire received a second yellow card, ending their chances of another comeback.

Late goals from Joao Pedro and Emmanuel Dennis rubbed salt into the wounds of United and Solskjaer, with the under-fire boss facing increased scrutiny over his role in the Old Trafford dugout.

However, many of United’s problems against Watford were self-inflicted, none more so than Maguire’s seven-minute red card. The 28-year-old received a match rating of three out of 10 by Manchester Evening News reporter Samuel Luckhurst following his “panicky” display.

“The first-half was an improvement on recent club performances. Saved United a few times during the first-half horror show with blocks and a sliding tackle. Then the panicky play returned and he was sent off,” Luckhurst wrote.

Maguire’s underlying numbers are further evidence of his substandard showing against the Hornets. As per SofaScore, the England international won just one of his three duels throughout his 69 minutes on the pitch, made only one tackle and lost possession six times, highlighting his underwhelming afternoon.

Despite De Gea conceding four goals, it was one of his defenders who was most to blame for United’s latest defeat, possibly providing the final nail in Solskjaer’s managerial coffin.

In other news… Forget Telles: Ole could unearth MUFC gem in rarely-seen 18 y/o with a “great future”

Aston Villa midfielder Marvelous Nakamba has been linked with a £15m move to Newcastle United in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Newcastle takeover complete

The Magpies are in the money after their recent takeover and they could have a huge amount to spend on new players in January.

It could see Newcastle eventually build in the same manner as Chelsea and Manchester City, turning into one of the most successful teams in the country.

The Latest: Nakamba linked with Newcastle move

According to Football Insider, a source at Newcastle has claimed that the Tynesiders are keen on signing Nakamba, who has made 57 appearances for Villa.

The Magpies want to improve their quality in central midfield and believe that the 27-year-old could be a perfect addition in that respect. A bid of around £15m could be enough to prise the 23-cap Zimbabwe international away from Villa Park.

The Verdict: No great loss for Villa

While Nakamba has been a good performer for Villa – he has the best passing accuracy rate of anyone in the current squad this season and has been hailed as “excellent” by Dean Smith – he hasn’t been a key part of the manager’s plans in recent weeks, making only one Premier League start in 2021/22.

For that reason, he wouldn’t be a huge loss for Villa, with the likes of Douglas Luiz and John McGinn keeping him on the fringes in the Midlands.

Still, it would be preferable to keep hold of Nakamba in terms of squad depth at Villa Park, while selling him to Newcastle also carries the danger of strengthening a Premier League rival.

In other news, some Villa fans lambasted one player’s performance against Arsenal. Find out who it is here.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has placed Matthijs de Ligt on his transfer wish list.

What’s the talk?

According to reports in Italy (via i News), the new Spurs boss has identified the Juventus centre-back as one of his top targets in the January transfer window as he looks to strengthen his options in the heart of the north Londoners’ defence, with both Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier being tipped for an exit from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Daily Express reported that the 52-year-old has around £150m to spend in the winter market, something which would allow the former Inter Milan boss to meet the reported €70m (£60m) figure at which Juventus value the Netherlands international.

Fans will be buzzing

Considering the sheer amount of potential that De Ligt quite clearly possesses, the news that Conte is plotting a move for the defender, coupled with the prospect of much-maligned duo Sanchez and Dier being moved on, is sure to have Tottenham fans buzzing. Indeed, both the Colombian and the Englishman have turned in some rather awful performances in recent weeks.

Indeed, while the 22-year-old has not quite hit the heights of his final season at Ajax since his £76.95m move to Turin back in 2019, the youngster has nevertheless demonstrated that he still possesses the ability to flourish into one of the world’s leading centre-backs – something which would likely be realise under Conte’s management.

Over his seven Serie A appearances this season, the £63m-rated Dutchman has helped his team to keep one clean sheet, scored one goal and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as making 1.1 interceptions and one tackle, completing 42.1 passes and winning 4.7 duels per game.

These returns have seen the player who Italian football expert Carlo Garganese dubbed a “monster” average a SofaScore match rating of 6.94, ranking him as Massimiliano Allegri’s joint fifth-best performer – alongside legendary centre-back Leonardo Bonucci – in the Italian top flight.

As such, it would indeed appear a highly advisable move for Fabio Paratici to do all he can to get a deal over the line for the £200k-per-week De Ligt in January, as the defender seems like a player around whom Conte could build his Tottenham defence for many years to come.

In other news: “Conte greenlights…”: Journalist claims Spurs want £18m-rated beast, fans will surely be buzzing

Having joined Aston Villa in what was a £4.5m deal back in January of 2019, the Villa Park faithful may well have thought that Dean Smith had landed a player who would become the 50-year-old’s first-choice right-back for many a season to come.

This idea would have more than likely been reinforced in the club’s 2019/20 Premier League campaign, with the £5.4m-rated man going on to make 25 appearances in the top flight, over which the defender helped his side keep two clean sheets, registered two assists and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as making an average of 0.6 key passes, two interceptions, three tackles and winning 6.6 duels per game.

These returns saw the former France U21 international earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.77, ranking him as Villa’s joint ninth-best performer in the league.

However, after the club’s £14.18m capture of Nottingham Forest right-back Matty Cash in the summer of 2020, Guilbert’s spot in the Villa starting XI appeared to be in considerable threat. That was something that ultimately proved to be the case when Smith failed to award the 26-year-old a single Premier League appearance in 2020/21, before sending the defender on loan to RC Strasbourg in the January transfer window.

Despite impressing over his 13 appearances in Ligue 1 last season, scoring one goal, registering four assists and averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.16, Smith once again took the decision to loan the right-back out this summer, with Strasbourg being more than happy to welcome the defender back to Stade de la Meinau for the 2021/22 campaign.

And, so far this season, Guilbert has continued to impress over his six Ligue 1 appearances for Julien Stephan’s side, having already helped his side keep one clean sheet, provided one assist and created two big chances, in addition to making an average of 1.2 key passes, two interceptions, 2.2 tackles and winning five duels per fixture.

These metrics have seen the £40k-per-week defender average a SofaScore match rating of 7.13, ranking him as the French side’s second-best performer in the league.

As such, while Cash is undeniably a fantastic right-back, considering the fact that the 24-year-old is Smith’s only senior option in the position, coupled with Guilbert’s impressive performances while out on loan, the 50-year-old’s decision to bomb the Frenchman out of his squad appears to be a rather strange one.

Indeed, Guilbert is undoubtedly a player who possesses the ability to push Cash for his starting spot in the Villa XI, something that would help to maintain the £19.8m-rated man’s current level of performance, while, should he pick up a serious injury, or even simply suffer a dip in form, Smith’s call regarding Guilbert could prove to be a rather big mistake on the part of the Villa manager.

In other news: “Brilliant” Aston Villa ace who made 4 key passes was let down by his teammates on Sat

Player approached in team hotel by man suspected of links to illegal bookmaking

Alex Brown18-Aug-2009Cricket’s recent trysts with bookmakersFebruary 2007: Nagpur Police accuses Marlon Samuels of giving out team information to an alleged bookie, Mukesh Kochar. Police releases a transcript of the conversation between Samuels and Kochar, and the ICC bans Samuels for two years.October 2008: Two ICL players are suspended from the league amid widespread speculation over match-fixing, though the ICL says they are suspended on “disciplinary grounds”.July 2009: Pakistan players complain of the presence of “suspicious characters” in their team hotel in Colombo during a Test series. The team management gets their rooms changed, and the ICC’s ACSU clears Pakistan of any contact with bookies.August 2009: An audio tape of a phone conversation between Mohammad Illyas, a Pakistan senior selector, and Salim Altaf, the PCB’s chief operating officer, alludes to match-fixing in the ICL. Illyas, father-in-law of Imran Farhat who played in the ICL, accuses senior Lahore Badshahs players of having fixed matches.The Australian team management has filed a report with the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit after a player was approached by a man suspected of links to illegal bookmaking. Cricinfo has learned the approach was made in the bar of the team’s London hotel, the Royal Kensington Garden, following Australia’s Ashes defeat at Lord’s in July.The player alerted senior officials immediately and, following ICC protocol, team manager Steve Bernard filed a report with the ACSU. The matter is currently under investigation. The player is not suspected of wrongdoing, and has been praised by a senior ICC official for his prompt reporting of the approach in line with the ACSU’s player education programme.Sources within the ICC and the Australian team, when contacted by Cricinfo, described the approach as “concerning” and part of a worrying resurgence in the presence of illegal bookmakers around major events. Sir Paul Condon, the chairman of the ACSU, told ICC meetings in Dubai and London over the past year that Twenty20 cricket posed the greatest corruption threat to the game since the dark days of Sharjah in the 1990s; a notion supported by recent media and anecdotal reports.Cricinfo understands the ACSU is investigating additional approaches made to players by illegal bookmakers, or conduits acting on their behalf, during the ICC World Twenty20 tournament in England earlier this summer. One source said the ACSU was “well advanced” in several lines of inquiry, at least one of which also involved approaches made to players at a team hotel.Senior officials are concerned that illegal bookmakers, emboldened by the new betting possibilities opened up by the Twenty20 game, are becoming increasingly prevalent around match venues and team hotels. After the inception of the ACSU in 2000 – in direct response to the match-fixing scandals involving international captains Hansie Cronje, Mohammed Azharuddin and Salim Malik – barriers were established to block bookmakers and their intermediaries from direct contact with players. But the approach to an Australian player during an Ashes series, coupled with those allegedly made to other international cricketers at the World Twenty20, have raised concerns that a new wave of corrupting influences is attempting to infiltrate the game.”This shows that our education programme is working,” an ICC spokesman told the . “The player who was approached reported it straight away. We have the policies in place to try to ensure that we never go back to the times we were at a decade or so ago.” The spokesman was also quoted by as saying that the ACSU “was content that all the World Twenty20 matches were clean”.A report in the Sunday Telegraph earlier this week, quoting an anonymous ICC source, warned that cricket was under renewed threat from illegal bookmakers. “Those in charge in the ICC understand that Twenty20 cricket has the danger of going back to the bad old days,” the source said.The report suggested that the apparent resurgence in contact from illegal bookmakers was in part attributable to the second IPL, a tournament at which the ACSU was not in operation, due to its $1.2 million operational bill. Lalit Modi, the IPL’s commissioner, told Cricinfo last month the ACSU would be involved in future IPL tournaments, and an agreement in principle has been reached for the unit to police the Champions League Twenty20, scheduled to be played in India this October. “They have expanded their services and going ahead, all the tournaments, including Champions League and the IPL would have the presence of ICC’s anti-corruption unit,” Modi said, in a move welcomed by the ICC’s chief executive Haroon Lorgat.Lorgat last week announced there was “absolutely no substance” to reports that Pakistan players had been approached by illegal bookmakers at their team hotel in Colombo during the recent series against Sri Lanka. The matter was investigated by the ACSU.”The ICC and its members have a zero-tolerance approach to corruption and rightly so because the integrity of our sport with its spirit is one of its greatest assets,” Lorgat said. “On that basis it is entirely appropriate that any suggestions in relation to that subject are always reported to and properly investigated by the ACSU. I am pleased those investigations have indicated nothing untoward has taken place on this occasion but it is a reminder that all of us – players, officials and supporters – must maintain our vigilance to ensure we remain on top of the issue of corruption.”

Lahiru Thirimanne’s half-century helped Sri Lanka A extend their lead past 300 on the third day in Dambulla after the bowlers restricted Pakistan A to 315 in their first innings

Cricinfo staff09-Aug-2009
Scorecard
Lahiru Thirimanne’s half-century helped Sri Lanka A extend their lead past 300 on the third day in Dambulla after the bowlers restricted Pakistan A to 315 in their first innings.Pakistan A began the day 156 runs behind Sri Lanka A with top scorer Umar Amin at 128. However he lost his partner Wahab Riaz ten overs into the day when Suraj Randiv took his fourth wicket of the innings by trapping Riaz leg before for 4. Amin fell for 153 and Pakistan bowled out for 315. Their last four wickets fell for 56 runs.With a cushioning lead of 102, Sri Lanka A openers began confidently and added 85 together befor Azhar Ali trapped Malinda Warnapura leg before for 48. But the lead was past 200 when Mohammad Talha struck in quick succession to remove Jehan Mubarak and Chamara Silva. Thirimanne’s was the last wicket to fall in the day when he edged a catch to the keeper off Fahad Masood for 62.Sri Lanka A will look to declare early on the final day and give their bowlers a chance to bowl out Pakistan A and take a lead in the two-match series.

A number of West Brom supporters have hailed Conor Townsend’s display in the first half against Birmingham City.

The Baggies are back in Championship action in another Friday evening encounter, following the rather tedious international break which has taken place over the past fortnight.

Valerien Ismael’s side host Birmingham City in an all Midlands derby, with three points and of course plenty of bragging rights on offer at The Hawthorns.

A win for West Brom would take them top of the Championship going into the weekend, with Bournemouth returning to the summit if they win or draw away to Bristol City on Saturday afternoon.

Townsend was the standout man in the opening 45 minutes, forcing Matija Šarkić into a good save after a quarter of an hour, as well as registering a couple of crucial tackles.

West Brom fans react to Townsend display

These Baggies supporters took to Twitter to laud the 28 year-old’s first half performance.

“Townsend is back wow!!”

Credit: @nathy_james

“Tackle Townsend!!!”

Credit: @gavin_poulton

“Superb tackle from Townsend there, it needed to be too”

Credit: @jemclay

“Townsend is absolutely quality”

Credit: @Blackjack42B

“Great shot by Townsend followed by a great tackle”

Credit: @BombersBoots

“I’m looking at the team and wondering who’s going to create anything, Townsend seems our best option at the min, looking for little 1-2s , the front 3 not at it so far”

Credit: @stuwolwalton

In other news, Luke Hatfield has claimed a number of clubs are interested in one West Brom player. Read more here.

Ireland coach Phil Simmons has big ambitions for his team at the ICC World Twenty20 and will be disappointed if the side don’t make it through to the Super Eight stage of the tournament

Cricinfo staff25-May-2009Ireland coach Phil Simmons has big ambitions for his team at the ICC World Twenty20 and will be disappointed if his side doesn’t make it through to the Super Eight stage of the tournament.Simmons wants the squad to repeat their success from the 2007 World Cup in West Indies when they reached the last eight after beating Pakistan in the qualifying section. Ireland also beat Bangladesh later in the tournament.The Ireland squad are preparing to leave for a training camp and their warm-up games ahead of their first match at the ICC World Twenty20 against Bangladesh, at Trent Bridge, on June 8. The players will travel in good spirits after demolishing Worcestershire for 58 in the Friends Provident Trophy last week.”The win against Worcestershire was exactly what we needed in our last competitive game before the Twenty20,” Simmons said. “It was also achieved without our top county players which says a lot for the depth of the squad. We will, of course, have everyone available and I’ll be very disappointed if we don’t make our mark.”Obviously our best chance lies in the game against Bangladesh but the beauty of Twenty20 cricket is its unpredictability. We will be going into the warm up games and the tournament in a confident mood.”Kyle McCallan, the vice-captain and one of the most experienced players, was also confident that Ireland will be there to more than just make up the numbers. “We’re relishing the opportunity to showcase Irish cricket on the world stage again,” he said. “The 2007 World Cup in the West Indies was a fabulous experience for all concerned, and I’m sure it’ll be the same again in England.”It’ll be a wonderful experience playing in front of sell out crowds, and I’m sure there will be plenty of Irish supporters adding to what I’m sure will be an incredible atmosphere.”I know just how much all the guys are looking forward to it, and if we play to our capabilities, we have a genuine chance of progression. We’re well prepared and have already played a lot of cricket this year. The conditions in England will be more familiar to our players than our opposition, so that’s obviously a big advantage to us.”Ireland will take on New Zealand in a Twenty20 game at Derby on May 27 before moving on to a training camp at Wormsley , where they will face a PCA Masters XI and West Indies in practice games. They will then face Netherlands and West Indies again in warm-up games at Lord’s and The Oval.Ireland will be at full strength apart from the loss of Eoin Morgan who has been selected in England’s World Twenty20 squad.