All posts by h716a5.icu

Australia’s contracted players are not guaranteed of significant pay rises despite Cricket Australia’s expectation it will have a turnover of more than $1 billion in the next four years

Cricinfo staff14-Dec-2008
Australia’s players are required to put in up to 22 public and sponsor appearances per year © Getty Images
Australia’s contracted players are not guaranteed of significant pay rises despite Cricket Australia’s expectation it will have a turnover of more than $1 billion in the next four years. The players begin pay negotiations with Cricket Australia next week but the new chairman, Jack Clarke, said it was vital money was distributed with the future in mind.”We have 568,000 players in Australia, and we plan to boost that to 750,000 by 2013,” Clarke told the . “CA is responsible for paying the elite, but equally it has so many other areas to consider when slicing the pie.”People always think they are worth more than they are getting. And they are entitled to seek what they are now asking. But you can only pay players what you can afford. It is not just about them.”We have a secondary competition, the Sheffield Shield, that incurs massive losses, but that is vital to the structure of our national game. Then there is maintenance and ground rental, local cricket competitions that survive mainly because of volunteers. If everyone put out their hands, there would be nothing left.”The Australian Cricketers’ Association is likely to push for a greater slice of the overall revenue than their current 25% share when the pay negotiations begin. The players have also raised concerns over their heavy schedule of public and sponsor appearances – they are required to do up to 22 a year – alongside the increasingly hectic international cricket calendar.

Alan Nixon has provided an update on Sunderland’s pursuit of Dennis Cirkin. 

What’s the talk?

The Sun’s Alan Nixon has revealed when Sunderland are expected to finalise the signing of Dennis Cirkin from Tottenham. Nixon has claimed that the Black Cats will complete a deal for the young defender on today.

This comes after Football Insider reported earlier this week that Cirkin has agreed a four-year contract with Sunderland ahead of a permanent switch from the Premier League club.

Fans will be delighted

Supporters should be excited by the prospect of this signing. At the age of 19, Cirkin is not arriving at the Stadium of Light as a ready-made League One superstar, who is guaranteed to be the best right-back in the division. He is, however, coming in with the promise and the potential to develop into that type of player.

The full-back once earned high praise from Jose Mourinho, who claimed that he has a ‘lot of quality’ and admitted that he wanted to work with him on the training pitch. He said:

“OK, he’s 17, but he’s a kid with a lot of quality, and I look forward to bringing him to train with us and to help his development.”

This shows how highly he was thought of at Tottenham, suggesting that there is untapped potential in Cirkin. It will now be down to Lee Johnson to ensure that he can unlock that to maximise the quality he can provide.

AND in other news, Forget Pritchard: Sunderland dynamo with 85% pass accuracy stole the show for Johnson…

Victoria have named a squad heavy on fast bowlers and power hitters for next month’s Champions Twenty20 League in India

Cricinfo staff07-Nov-2008
Victoria have only ever lost one Twenty20 match and they hope that form can help them win the Champions League, which has a prize pool of US$6 million © Getty Images
Victoria have named a squad heavy on fast bowlers and power hitters for next month’s Champions Twenty20 League in India. Cameron White will captain a 15-man group at the inaugural event, where the Bushrangers will face domestic Twenty20 sides from India, Pakistan, South Africa and England.Victoria will be seen as the team to beat thanks to their incredible Twenty20 record – they have been beaten only once in the format and have been the champions in all three seasons of Australia’s domestic Twenty20 competition. Unlike Western Australia, who will enter the tournament without Michael Hussey due to his decision to play for his IPL side, Victoria did not have concerns over any of their stars failing to be available.White, Brad Hodge and David Hussey were all part of the IPL this year but none of their sides qualified for the Champions Twenty20. Dirk Nannes, the left-arm fast bowler, helped both Victoria and Middlesex earn spots at the tournament but he will be playing for his home state rather than his county.The squad features all but two of the players who helped the Bushrangers win last season’s KFC Twenty20. Bryce McGain, the legspinner, was not considered due to his long-term shoulder injury and the batsman Michael Klinger is now a South Australia player.Victoria have chosen two wicketkeepers, with Adam Crosthwaite the likely first choice due to his strong Twenty20 record, and Matthew Wade the backup. White is the only specialist spinner in the group – Hodge and Hussey will almost certainly be used as well – as the selectors went instead for five fast men and two fast-medium allrounders.Six men have international experience, including the England Test bowler Darren Pattinson and Australia’s newest Test fast man Peter Siddle. Greg Shipperd, the coach, knows about the Indian conditions having guided the Delhi Daredevils in the IPL and he said the squad would give the selectors plenty of options.”We’ve got a really good squad with a lot of depth, so we can choose the best team for the conditions and our opponents,” Shipperd said. “We’ve only lost one game in this format over that past three years so we’re confident in our own abilities, but it will be a whole new game over there with many talented players and teams competing.”Victoria play in the tournament opener against Middlesex in Mumbai on December 3. They have also been drawn in the same pool group as the Titans from South Africa and the IPL runners-up the Chennai Super Kings. If they reach the semi-finals they could face the Rajasthan Royals, who are led by the Victoria legend Shane Warne.Squad Rob Quiney, Aiden Blizzard, Brad Hodge, David Hussey, Cameron White (capt), Aaron Finch, Andrew McDonald, Adam Crosthwaite (wk), Matthew Wade (wk), John Hastings, Clint McKay, Shane Harwood, Peter Siddle, Darren Pattinson, Dirk Nannes.

The new chief of Pakistan cricket has voiced serious concerns about thepoor financial health the PCB has been left in by the previousadministration

Cricinfo staff21-Oct-2008
Ijaz Butt cast doubt over claims by his predecessor Nasim Ashraf that he had insured the Australian tour of Pakistan earlier this year © AFP
The new chief of Pakistan cricket has voiced serious concerns about thepoor financial health the PCB has been left in by the previousadministration.Ijaz Butt was appointed chairman of the board two weeks ago and in hisfirst press conference made a number of remarkable revelations. Among themore serious and relevant to Pakistan cricket were the financial problems.”Since assuming charge, I have gone through the PCB’s budget but couldonly find that there is no income and only expenditures,” Butt said.”The PCB could receive only 5% of the revenues it had estimatedin the annual budget. However, it has spent out more than 90% ofthe estimated expenditures account,” Butt said.Butt avoided disclosing details of what reserves are left with the boardbut claimed that only a third of the amount claimed by the outgoingchief was in the bank.”Though it is a fact that due to security reasons, Australia’s tour andICC Champions Trophy could not be held and, under such circumstances, anorganisation is forced to review the estimated budget, but in PCB theprevious management did not follow the principle and continued to makehuge expenses,” he said.Butt went on to cast doubt over claims by his predecessor Nasim Ashrafthat he had insured the Australian tour of Pakistan scheduled earlier thisyear. At the time there was considerable ambiguity over whether the serieshad been insured.”Soon after taking charge, I read out the related documents of theinsurance but there is nothing concrete and it all looks like a fraud,”Butt said.The allegations didn’t stop there. The recent agreement signed between the PCB and Dubai Sports City also came in for questioning. “Imet the authorities in Dubai and they reminded me about the contractsigned by the previous management. But when I asked them to show me thewritten agreement they could not and it was, apparently, done verballywhich is no good,” Butt said.”The PCB and the BCCI have also agreed to ask the Sports City authoritiesin Dubai to double the amount if India and Pakistan feature in the contestin any of three years,” he said.

Sheffield Wednesday have reportedly agreed personal terms with former Middlesbrough midfielder Marvin Johnson, according to Yorkshire Live.

What’s the story?

Johnson has been a free-agent since leaving Middlesbrough at the end of the 2020/21 season, having departed when his contract expired.

The midfielder made 103 appearances in total for the Championship side, and is seemingly set to find a new club ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

He’s set to sign for Sheffield Wednesday though, with the Owls reportedly agreeing personal terms, whilst a medical has also been completed ahead of the new season.

Yorkshire Live also claim that Hull City, Blackpool and Millwall were rumoured to be keen on reaching an agreement to sign Johnson.

It’s a real statement of intent by Sheffield Wednesday

Johnson has caught the eye with some strong performances for Middlesbrough over the years, whilst also impressing out on loan, as he went in search of regular minutes.

The 30-year-old spent time on loan with Oxford United, and chipped in with six goals and 11 assists for the League One club in the 2016/17 season, as they narrowly missed out on promotion into the second-tier of English football.

Therefore, he’s shown that he can perform to a more than good enough standard in League One, and it’s a statement of intent by Sheffield Wednesday to beat the likes of Millwall and Hull City to his signature this summer.

Middlesbrough boss Neil Warnock has previously labelled Johnson as ‘reliable’, whilst the 30-year-old found game time hard to come by at the Riverside.

“He has been ever so unlucky and I’ve told him a few times in the last couple of weeks how unlucky he is. I brought people in in January and I feel I want to play them. But Marvin is the most reliable player I’ve got in that position.

“I never worry about Marvin because he’s a 9/10 every week for me – I know exactly what he’s going to give me.“

At ‘Boro, Johnson was on wages of £7,900 per-week according to Salary Sport, and will be eager to make a positive impact with the Owls if he arrives at Hillsborough this summer.

Sheffield Wednesday are set to take on Charlton Athletic in their first match in the League One season, in what is likely to be a tricky test up against Nigel Adkins’ side and they look likely to have Johnson in their squad to help them battle for the three points, and that news will have Owls fans buzzing as they look to have a much better campaign this year compared to last.

India’s only chance to acclimatise before the Test series ended in a tame draw with less than three days’ play at the Nondescripts Cricket Club in Colombo

The Bulletin by Jamie Alter at the NCC20-Jul-2008
Scorecard
Gautam Gambhir, through solid cuts and pulls, made an unbeaten 60 to cover for his first-innings failure © AFP
India’s only chance to acclimatise before the Test series ended in a tame draw with less than three days’ play at the Nondescripts Cricket Club in Colombo. Having declared at an overnight 196 for 8, the tourists turned in an ordinary day in the field – Anil Kumble did not bowl a ball – as the Sri Lanka Board XI batted to 247 before handing the final session over. In that time, extended by nearly an hour, Gautam Gambhir helped himself to a fifty after Virender Sehwag fell cheaply again.The Sri Lankan top order struggled, as on the opening day. Solid efforts here may not have entirely swayed the national selectors’ decision when they meet to announce Sri Lanka’s Test squad, but the single-digit scores from the openers was disappointing. Upul Tharanga edged Zaheer Khan to the wicketkeeper in the third over and Mahela Udawatte slashed Ishant Sharma in the air to backward point for 15.Jehan Mubarak’s shots remained punchy as he stood tall to get over the ball, but having made 41, he played an ugly shot. Harbhajan Singh changed ends after two overs and Mubarak charged his second delivery, only to chip the ball to point.As Munaf Patel searched for what length to bowl, Chamara Kapugedera pulled him ferociously out of the ground. Having honed his radar, Munaf picked up Kapugedera in the 21st over, perhaps with some assistance: the ball looked to have been carrying on just over the stumps when Kapugedera was adjudged lbw for 22. Thilina Kandamby looked to score off Harbhajan – a few hard cuts scurried past the infield and one straight drive, albeit uppish, stood out – but on the stroke of lunch, Harbhajan had his man chipping loosely to Sachin Tendulkar at cover for a brisk 27.A brief but heavy shower during the interval delayed the resumption of play for just under 50 minutes. Chamara Silva, like Kandamby, was aggressive against Harbhajan – his feet constantly moved and his bat quick to come down on anything errant. A slip mid-pitch resulted in Kaushal Silva being run out and with the second session extended, Chamara ticked along to his second fifty of the match. His cutting remained his strongest suite, and a couple of lusty blows raised the landmark. The Indians’ fielding slipped dramatically in the second session, with wayward throws not always backed up correctly. Kumble refrained from bowling and Gambhir’s unassuming spin was employed as support to Sehwag’s offbreaks.Dammika Prasad scored a useful 53-ball 43 and the two put on 74 for the seventh wicket. A declaration at 247 for 6 gave India the final session to test out their batting.With Sehwag falling for 14, caught at deep square-leg, Gambhir and Rahul Dravid kept the ball on the ground. Gambhir slowed down in the process and Dravid took a while to open up, but soon sweet drives and cuts peppered the ground. The helmets came off at the arrival of spin as both batsmen tried to dominate. Gambhir succeeded with some aerial drives but Dravid was late on a shot against the left-arm spinner Rangana Herath and was bowled for 26. Play was extended until 6.10 pm and Gambhir, through solid cuts and pulls, made an unbeaten 60. Sourav Ganguly notched up 22.Two days out of three were hit by rain, and locals expect the pattern to continue when the actual contest kicks off just down the road at the SSC on July 23.

Khurram Manzoor will lead Pakistan’s National Cricket Academy squad for the back-to-back tours of Zimbabwe and Kenya, starting later this month

Cricinfo staff13-Aug-2008Pakistan National Cricket Academy squadKhurram Manzoor (capt), Fawad Alam, Raheel Majeed, Ahmad Shehzad, Fahad Iqbal, Asad Shafiq, Ali Asad, Umar Amin, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Talha, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Aamer, Junaid Khan, Naeem Anjum, Yasir Shah, Imad WasimKhurram Manzoor, the opening batsman, will lead Pakistan’s National Cricket Academy squad for the back-to-back tours of Zimbabwe and Kenya starting later this month. Fawad Alam, the Pakistan allrounder, has been appointed the vice-captain. Aaqib Javed, the former Pakistan fast bowler, will coach the side.The 16-member squad includes players from the Under-19 World Cup, including the captain Imad Wasim, Ahmad Shehzad, Umar Amin, Ali Asad and Mohammad Aamer.The tour starts with the Zimbabwe leg, where they will play two four-day games, followed by three one-dayers. The first four-day match starts August 23 in Harare. The matches have been split between the Harare Sports Club and the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. The team will touch down in Nairobi on September 10, where they play two four-day games, starting September 13, before heading to Mombasa for the first one-dayer. Nairobi will host the next two matches, with the tour concluding September 28.

Slavisa Jokanovic has dropped an update on the future of Sheffield United defensive midfielder Sander Berge.

What’s the talk?

In recent comments cited by The Sheffield Star, the 52-year-old revealed that the reason for the midfielder’s absence from Saturday’s recent friendly with Europa Point was due to a minor injury, rather than the 23-year-old being close to securing a move away from Bramall Lane this summer.

The report went on to mention both Arsenal and Napoli’s interest in a move for the Norway international in the summer transfer window, however, Jokanovic made it clear that his desire is to keep Berge at the club ahead of the Blades’ upcoming Championship campaign.

The Serbian manager said: “I know the situation with Sander. There is a possibility that he will be one guy who leaves, but I hope this doesn’t happen.

“But the club informed me about this for a reason, so that we can be ready if that does happen. If it doesn’t, then of course that will be good for us too.

“Sander has a minor [injury] problem. I stress, a minor one. That is why he wasn’t with us. He is with the medical people but it is nothing serious. That is what he is working on at the moment and he will be okay soon.”

Fans will be buzzing

With the general feeling that Berge’s departure from Sheffield United this summer is practically a forgone conclusion, Jokanovic’s recent show of fight regarding the player’s future, as well as the club reported to be holding firm on their £35m asking price in order to sanction the 23-year-old’s sale, is sure to have left Blades fans buzzing.

Indeed, over his 14 Premier League appearances in his first season at Bramall Lane, the £16.2m-rated man highly impressed for United, making an average of 0.7 interceptions, 1.6 tackles and winning 5.5 duels per game.

The £38k-per-week defensive midfielder also chipped in for his side in an attacking capacity, scoring one goal, registering one assist and creating one big chance for his teammates, as well as making an average of 0.9 key passes per league appearance.

These returns saw the man Chris Wilder dubbed an “outstanding” player earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.90, ranking him as the club’s seventh-best performer in the top flight of English football that season.

As such, while the Norwegian’s second season at the club was heavily impacted by injury, if the club can indeed keep hold of the midfielder this summer, and he subsequently goes on to refind his form from 2019/20 in the Championship next term, it would undoubtedly provide Jokanovic’s side with a significant boost to their chances of going on and securing an immediate return to the Premier League, an outcome that would delight everyone involved with the club.

Either way, the Blades look like they’ll either have a quality player like Berge next summer or they’ll receive a big fee to use on a replacement. That’s great news for the club’s fans.

In other news: Jokanovic drops update on “talented” £1.8m-rated gem, Sheff Utd fans should be worried

Southampton have been linked with a move for Liverpool striker Divock Origi recently, and he could prove to be a superb addition to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

What’s the word?

According to 90min, Southampton are one of several sides taking an interest in the Belgian this summer, with West Ham, Crystal Palace, Newcastle United, Rangers and Celtic also reportedly monitoring his situation at Anfield.

Although he is regarded as a cult hero at the Merseyside club for his brace in the memorable 4-0 win against Barcelona in the Champions League, as well as a late second in the win against Tottenham Hotspur in the final, he was a fringe option for the majority of last season and struggled on his rare appearances in Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Would Origi be a good signing for Southampton?

Origi has never really been able to produce consistently good form during his time at Liverpool, with Klopp rarely deviating from his front three of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.

The former Wolfsburg man’s playing time was limited even further last season following the arrival and subsequent good form of Diogo Jota, as he made just five starts last season in all competitions, with a further 10 appearances from the bench.

During his time on the pitch, he would manage no goals and just one assist, so it is no surprise to see him linked with a move away from Anfield this summer, in the hope that regular playing time elsewhere would help him rediscover his goalscoring touch.

The 26-year-old has truthfully never been prolific, with his best goalscoring season coming in the 2014/15 Ligue 1 campaign, as he scored eight goals for Lille in a loan spell, after moving from Les Dogues to the Reds the previous summer.

Since then, the £10.8m-rated striker has featured in 157 games for Liverpool, in which he has managed 35 goals and 14 assists, so would bring plenty of Premier League experience with him if he were to move to St Mary’s this summer.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-southampton-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read the latest Southampton transfer rumours and news!”]

Considering his contract is set to expire at the end of next season, it seems clear that he will leave Liverpool this summer, which suggests that Hasenhuttl would be able to bring him in for a fairly low fee, and he could add some much-needed squad depth in attack, challenging Danny Ings and Che Adams for a starting spot in the Austrian manager’s side.

After scoring an impressive brace against Everton in 2019, Phil Neville was full of praise for the forward, saying:

“He’s got a taste for the big games. He has made big contributions in big games.”

Therefore, Origi arguably deserves a chance to show what he can do when afforded regular opportunities in a Premier League side, and given the price of any potential deal, he could prove to be an ideal, affordable option for the Saints this summer, so vice-chairman Martin Semmens should definitely look at bringing him in.

And, in other news… Tom Leach shares Southampton update on CL regular, fans will be gutted

There will be an EGM prior to the AGM at 6.30pm on Tuesday 28 February 2003

Gloucestershire CCC Media Release25-Nov-2002Tuesday 18 February 2003 in the Grace Room at The County Ground, Bristol at7pmThere will be an EGM prior to the AGM at 6.30pm on Tuesday 28 February 2003