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Jonathan Trott scored his second one-day hundred and followed that with a crucial spell of 2 for 31, which also happened to be his maiden ODI wickets

Andrew McGlashan at Adelaide Oval26-Jan-2011Jonathan Trott was delighted to become an allrounder for a day. He scored his second one-day hundred and followed that with a crucial spell of 2 for 31, which also happened to be his maiden ODI wickets, to help England to a 21-run victory that kept the series alive.Trott’s 126-ball innings set the platform from which England reached their highest total against Australia in the country, beating the 294 at Melbourne earlier this series, and took his ODI average to a heady 54.38 to go alongside his Test figure of 61.53. However, with the visitors picking just three main bowlers, his seven overs of medium pace which claimed Cameron White and David Hussey – Australia’s middle-order enforcers – ensured England never lost control of the game.”Obviously I’m in the team to get 100s,” he said. “I was very happy to do that and set up a very good total, one we felt we could defend. When called upon to bowl it is always nice to contribute as well. I know how cricket can be, it can be a nice game and it can be a horrible game sometimes.”Trott hit an unbeaten 84 in the previous game at the SCG as England limped to 214 and there was some criticism that he didn’t try to force the pace towards the end of the innings. This time he rode in the slipstream of Matt Prior’s 68 early on, then ensured the innings didn’t fall apart when three wickets fell for 22.”When we lost the three wickets it was important that we didn’t have what happened in Sydney with a progression of wickets,” he said. “It was important that I hung around. I was a little bit disappointed to get out in the manner I did towards the end with the Powerplay looming. That’s something to work on for future games with batting and setting totals or chasing them.”Trott also aims to work on his bowling to fill a valuable role in one-day and Test cricket. Paul Collingwood’s retirement from the five-day game means England will need a new part-time bowler come their next Test series and Trott wants to develop. “I’ve had a chat with David Saker and we’re going to work hard at that,” he said. “If I could bowl like Colly has in this tour then definitely I can help the side.”Michael Clarke, who would like to be able to play a similar anchor role with the bat for Australia but can’t break his form slump, praised Trott’s innings and the way his team-mates allowed him to control the innings. “I think the earlier he gets in probably the better for him and the more it suits his game and allows him to play freely,” he said. “He’s in pretty good nick and he batted really well today. I thought he held the innings together really well, the other guys had the opportunity to play around him.”Although Australia closed the innings a mere 21 runs adrift, they were struggling from the moment Shane Watson was caught behind off Ajmal Shahzad. The visitors knew that was the key wicket because of the way Watson played in Melbourne with his unbeaten 161 when Australia chased 295, but Clarke doesn’t believe the opener is carrying too much of a burden.”Obviously all the batters want to perform and do well. Watto is in a bit of a purple patch and batting really well and leading from the front,” Clarke said. “But we’ve had other guys; Brad Haddin batted really well the other night, Shaun Marsh a hundred a couple of games ago, David Hussey as well. I just think at the moment he’s batting really well, unfortunately he didn’t go on and get a big one which would have been nice tonight.”

Ricky Ponting will not take part in the third one-day international against Sri Lanka in Brisbane, and will instead travel to Hobart to prepare for Tasmania’s Sheffield Shield game against Queensland

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Nov-2010Ricky Ponting will not take part in the third one-day international against Sri Lanka in Brisbane, and will instead travel to Hobart to prepare for Tasmania’s Sheffield Shield game against Queensland in order to fit in as much first-class cricket as possible ahead of the first Ashes Test against England on November 25.”As the series against Sri Lanka has been decided the National Selection Panel has an ideal opportunity to provide Ricky with two solid weeks of red-ball cricket,” said Greg Chappell, who sits on the panel. “This allows him what we believe to be the best preparation to lead the Australian Test match team in Brisbane for the first Ashes Test match.”Australia lost the second ODI in Sydney by 29 runs to hand Sri Lanka their first ever series win on Australian soil, and have now lost seven successive matches across all three formats. Ponting admitted that “all departments are a little bit wanting at the moment”, but insisted that the team remained upbeat ahead of what is sure to be a challenging summer.”There is a good feeling around the group,” he said. “We had a good chat after the game in Melbourne and we talked about areas of our game we had to improve on and unfortunately we haven’t done that as well as we would have liked tonight. We are just far enough off to be losing games of cricket at the moment. We have had seven games in a row now where we have had opportunities to win games and we haven’t got there.Ponting refused to use the hype surrounding the Ashes as a reason for Australia’s poor form, adding: “You can’t use that as an excuse. We have known for a long time about this series and how important it was for us to play well here leading into the Ashes and we haven’t done that over the last two games. We have the chance now in Brisbane to get things back on track and a bit of state cricket after that.”We have to start winning games, it’s really important to have that attitude and feeling of winning games around the dressing room and we haven’t done that for a while now. It’s about time we got back to playing the brand of cricket we know we are capable of and if we do that I am sure we will win some games.”

Tottenham Hotspur’s attentions have seemingly turned to Diego Carlos in a bid to bolster Antonio Conte’s backline.

Earlier this month, the Daily Mail reported that Spurs had joined Newcastle United in race to sign him during the January transfer window and with just a few days left to go, time may be running out to secure him.

It does appear as if the north London outfit have a trick up their sleeve, though.

According to Football Insider, Spurs have opened preliminary talks with Sevilla over a potential swap deal involving Giovani Lo Celso for the 28-year-old centre-back.

Conte is said to be in the market for a new central defender during the final few days of the window.

Carlos is valued at £50m by the LaLiga outfit but the Lilywhites are hoping that Lo Celso going in the other direction can sweeten the deal.

There’s no denying, the Brazilian colossus would be an instant upgrade to the Italian’s defence, especially alongside summer signing Cristian Romero and Eric Dier, who Conte believes can become one of the best in the world.

The trio would be a frightening prospect for any Premier League frontline. You’ve got two physical and aggressive animals in Carlos and Romero and an exceptional ball-playing option between them in Dier.

Just two seasons ago, the 6 foot 1 star won the Europa League with the Rojiblancos, where he played a regular and starring role. That campaign saw him record a whopping 21 clean sheets in all competitions, including one against Lionel Messi and co, which is impressive.

He formed a solid partnership with Jules Kounde at the back, averaging a squad-high 2.8 aerial duels won, 1.1 tackles and an 88.3% passing accuracy per league outing, via WhoScored.

That aerial ability could certainly set him apart from the two Spurs defenders.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-thfc-spurs-transfer-rumours-gossip-conte-paratici-levy-updates” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

Valued at £40.5m by Transfermarkt, Carlos has been dubbed a “beast” who is “built like a tank” by Spanish football expert Domagoj Kostanjsak.

“He’s a really physical player – he’s built like a tank and they don’t call him ‘The Beast’ for no reason,” he told the Liverpool ECHO. “He’s really good in the air and he’s decent on the ball as well – you have to be under Julen Lopetegui,” before later adding: “He’s been a bit of a revelation.”

If Conte wants a new centre-back, then Spurs should look no further than Carlos, who could be the final piece to their defensive puzzle. Between him, Dier and Romero, the Italian head coach would have one formidable unit that could strike fear into the opposition for the remainder of this season.

It’s on sporting director Fabio Paratici and chairman Daniel Levy to get this one over the line now.

AND in other news, Spurs dealt late January transfer blow over “devastating” target, Conte will be livid…

Following on from their 2-2 draw against Manchester United in their previous Premier League outing that saw Aston Villa crawl back from being 2-0 down to secure a point, Steven Gerrard takes his side to Goodison Park this afternoon to take on Everton in their latest league clash. 

Having sacked Rafa Benitez after their 2-1 defeat against Norwich City last weekend, Duncan Ferguson will be leading Everton in his first game as caretaker manager to try and get their season back on track. 

In terms of Villa and which players Gerrard could select to be in his starting XI, with Bertrand Traore and Trezeguet still away on international duty and Marvelous Nakamba and Leon Bailey still out through injury, Villa are also sweating on the fitness of defender Ezri Konsa after he picked up a hip issue in the draw against the Red Devils last weekend. 

With that in mind, here’s how we fee Villa will line up today. 

In goal, having played in all but one of Villa’s Premier League games so far this season and recently putting pen to paper on a new deal with the Midlands club, it’d be hard not to see Emi Martinez start this afternoon. 

For the full-back positions, we think Gerrard will stick with the same pair that started against United with Matty Cash on the right and January signing Lucas Digne on the left once again. 

In the centre-back roles, Gerrard may not feel it’s worth the risk putting Konsa back in so we think he’ll stick with Tyrone Mings and put Kortney Hause in, who, like Martinez, has recently signed a new deal at the club. 

In midfield, with John McGinn back after serving a one-match ban in the game against United, we think Gerrard will have no issue in putting him back straight back in the side with Morgan Sanson dropping out. 

Next to McGinn we can see Douglas Luiz and Jacob Ramsey playing in midfield to try and provide some stability and control against the Toffees.

For the attack, we think Gerrard will give Philippe Coutinho his first start in a Villa shirt on the left-wing after making a big impact off the bench on his debut against United by scoring their crucial equalising goal. 

Then finally we predict that Gerrard will make a big decision and drop Danny Ings, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £100k-per-week according to Salary Sport, from the side with Ollie Watkins playing through the middle with Emi Buendia on the right. 

In other news: Ashley Preece drops Villa transfer claim amid Gerrard comments, fans surely delighted – opinion

Former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan took three wickets for Worcestershire on the third day of their County Championship match against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road

27-Aug-2010
Scorecard
Promotion-chasing Sussex and Glamorgan were frustrated by the rain which washed out the first day of their County Championship Division Two match at Hove.Morning rain finally stopped at midday but umpires Peter Willey and Barry Dudleston decided at 3.30pm, after three inspections, that parts of the outfield were too damp for play.Leaders Sussex went into the game 20 points clear of second-placed Glamorgan and closing in on an immediate return to Division One.

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle United and their pursuit of Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse…

What’s the talk?

According to The Daily Star, the Magpies are among a number of clubs monitoring the England international ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window.

Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United and Manchester City are also keen on the midfielder, who is said to be valued at £60m by the Saints. Pep Guardiola in particular is a huge fan of the St Mary’s academy graduate, but it remains to be seen whether or not any of the clubs will meet Southampton’s valuation.

Eddie Howe can find Solano 2.0

Magpies boss Eddie Howe can find the club’s new set-piece specialist – Nolberto Solano 2.0 – in a deal for Ward-Prowse, with Toon legend Alan Shearer previously describing the 27-year-old’s dead ball quality as “ridiculous”.

Back in 2015, talkSPORT published a list of the best free-kick takers in Premier League history and Solano came in at number five. He had a 9% conversation rate from set pieces, scoring seven of his 78 such attempts on goal in the top flight. The midfielder played 315 games for Newcastle in total, scoring 48 goals and providing 77 assists.

Meanwhile, Ward-Prowse has played 302 matches for Southampton in the top division of English football and has found the net from a free-kick a whopping 14 times. Only David Beckham (18) has scored more in the history of the Premier League, which highlights just how much of a specialist the Saints captain is from dead ball situations.

This means that the 27-year-old can be the new Solano at St James’ Park, as he has proven his quality in the Premier League throughout his career, establishing himself as one of the best free-kick takers in the history of the top flight.

It would be wrong to only mention Ward-Prowse’s set-pieces when speaking about his ability, though, as he is an excellent and combative midfielder. He has averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.31 across 33 appearances in the league this season, chipping in with nine goals and five assists whilst making 2.3 tackles and interceptions per game in the middle of the park.

In a recent interview with Sky Sports’ YouTube channel, Nathan Tella said that the Saints skipper “can do everything”. This shows that his all-round game is at a high level, as he has consistently delivered brilliant displays for Southampton throughout the campaign.

Therefore, he would be a fantastic signing for Newcastle, offering Howe a reliable high-quality option in midfield who also possesses a historically superb weapon in the form of his set-pieces.

AND in other news, “Phenomenal” £18m-rated Premier League star now wants NUFC move, he’d be their new Gazza…

After PIF’s takeover of Newcastle United was confirmed a number of months ago, we were all expectant and excited to see the type of talent they could lure to St James’ Park.

Sadly, and rather unsurprisingly, however, they have found life difficult during the winter.

January is always a tricky time to recruit and the club’s new owners are finding that our swiftly.

What’s the word?

News broke on Wednesday that Newcastle were trying to complete a deal to bring Jesse Lingard to the club.

However, the Magpies have been rebuffed in their attempts to lands the Manchester United playmaker and it’s thought he’d prefer another move to the capital.

As a result, the Toon are considering making moves for two other players, one of which is Tottenham’s Dele Alli.

That’s according to 90min who report that the England international is an alternative to Lingard this winter.

It’s thought Spurs had set an asking price of £25m according to a separate report last year.

The new Gazza?

A few years ago Darren Anderton was incredibly effusive in his praise for Dele, hailing the creative midfielder as a “freak of a talent.”

Indeed, that talent is clearly still lurking in the 25-year-old but there is a sense that he needs a fresh start elsewhere in order to discover that.

After all, the playmaker has scored just twice in all competitions this term and has only registered one assist too.

That is a far cry from the numbers we saw him rack up in the early stages of his career. In 2015/16, Dele amassed as many as ten goals and nine assists in the top-flight, then went even better in the campaign after that, scoring 18 times with another nine assists to his name.

2017/18 was also productive for the attacking midfielder who racked up nine goals and 11 assists.

With that kind of dynamism in mind, he could well become Newcastle’s next Paul Gascoigne if he finds his form again.

Gazza was a wonderful player in his prime and scored 133 times during his career.

The duo have also been compared previously by none other than Barcelona manager, Xavi. He once said: “There are some very promising young English midfield players and there is no doubt he is very special.

“He is very talented, very technical. I can understand why the Tottenham fans are hoping he is the next Paul Gascoigne.

“For me, Gascoigne was an inspiration when I was developing, one of the best midfield players I have ever seen. It is important not to put pressure on Dele with these comparisons but I can see why fans are excited.”

Of course, his form has subsided since that comparison but there is certainly a belief that he can get back to his best with new tools and resources.

Newcastle must make that happen.

AND in other news, “From sources” – Fabrizio Romano drops big NUFC transfer update that’ll delight fans…

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Fabio Carvalho to the London Stadium.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by TEAMtalk, who claim that David Moyes’ West Ham side – as well as Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton – are keeping a very close eye on the situation of the Fulham attacking midfielder ahead of a potential swoop this summer.

The report goes on to state that, with the 19-year-old’s current contract at Craven Cottage set to expire at the end of the season, Fulham are concerned that the former England U18 international has already agreed a move away from the club, with the youngster believed to have turned down a number of new contract offers from the Championship side.

GSB must move

Considering the sheer amount of potential Carvalho quite clearly possesses, it would indeed appear to be a very smart move by the West Ham board to attempt to tie a deal up for the teenager prior to him becoming a free agent at the end of the current campaign, as there will undoubtedly be a huge amount of interest in the 19-year-old’s services should he go on to leave Fulham for nothing this summer.

Indeed, the £3.15m-rated man burst onto the scene last season, scoring one goal, creating one big chance and taking an average of 2.3 shots over his four Premier League outings, with these returns seeing the youngster average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.95 in the top flight.

The player who Fulham’s academy director, Huw Jennings, claimed wants to be “competing for the Ballon d’Or” in a few years time has continued this fine form into his 14 Championship appearances in the current campaign, scoring four goals, registering one assist and creating three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots and making 1.6 key passes per fixture.

These metrics have seen the £650-per-week starlet average a SofaScore match rating of 6.89, a rather extraordinary accomplishment considering the midfielder’s tender age.

As such, it would very much appear as if the signing of the teenager, particularly on a free transfer, would be a hugely exciting coup for West Ham, leading us to believe that the Hammers board simply must do all they can to land Carvalho’s signature ahead of next season.

In other news: Moyes can form scary duo as West Ham plot bargain swoop for £22.5m-rated “phenomenon”

Pundit Kevin Campbell has been reacting to who could join Erik ten Hag in the Manchester United dugout, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Verbal agreement…

It appears to be a matter of time until the Red Devils confirm Ten Hag as their new manager after striking a verbal agreement with the 52-year-old earlier this week.

An announcement isn’t expected anytime soon however, due to Ajax’s Dutch Cup final with PSV at the weekend, reports David Ornstein.

Reports do however believe that Ten Hag wants to bring his assistant Mitchell van der Gaag with him to Old Trafford, while Steve McClaren and Robin van Persie are also under consideration.

The Latest: Campbell’s comments

Campbell, who contributes for Sky Sports, was talking to FI regarding the possibility of the former United duo returning to the club to work under Ten Hag.

He labelled it as ‘important’ and ‘a brilliant move’, while also admitting he can see move materialising.

“It would be a smart move because both of them know the club inside out.

“Ten Hag knows what McClaren is about. They’ve been successful. They know.

“Van Persie had great success at Man United. Getting people in who know the club and know what’s required to be successful is important.

“I think it would be a brilliant move, if I’m honest. I can see it happening.”

The Verdict: Interesting…

Along with Van der Gaag, it could be wise for Ten Hag to bring McClaren and Van Persie to Old Trafford. He knows McClaren well after serving as his assistant at FC Twente, with roles possibly reversed 14 years on.

Fellow countryman Van Persie enjoyed plenty of success as a player with the Red Devils, and could also bring something different to the coaching team.

It will be interesting to see who Ten Hag brings with him, but what is most important for United chiefs at this moment in time is that a move goes through without any late hiccups. A coaching team potentially needs to be sorted before a deal is finalised, but only time will tell.

In other news: ‘Interesting’ Man Utd news has pundit talking; says Leeds supporters ‘will be devastated’

The end of the IPL’s 2011 auction has shifted the franchises’ focus to filling up their roster of uncapped Indian players, but a controversy has arisen over the rules under which those players are to be signed

Nagraj Gollapudi09-Jan-2011The end of the IPL’s 2011 auction has shifted the franchises’ focus to filling up their roster of uncapped Indian players, who will form the base of any team. The process begins on Monday but a controversy has arisen over the rules under which those players are to be signed – and a general confusion over those rules hasn’t helped matters.The issue was raised a few minutes after Sunday’s auction by Vijay Mallya, owner of the Royal Challengers Bangalore, who said he wondered whether the BCCI could protect the uncapped – read: young – players from being the subject of a bidding war and other forms of poaching.”Now we look to sign uncapped players and try to complete our team,” Mallya said. “But I urge all the franchises and the IPL governing council to exercise the utmost vigilance while signing uncapped players.”The IPL has, as Mallya noted, laid down “strict guidelines” for the signing of these players, whose value has increased because of the general dearth of domestic talent and the need to fill squad berths. First, it has laid strictures on how these players can be signed, through a three-way agreement involving player, franchise and the IPL, and with the explicit permission of the board. It is the player’s decision, though, whether he wants to sign the contract and he is free to choose his team.It has also clearly categorised these uncapped players into three types and set wage limits for each. Those players who made their debut in the last two years will be paid Rs 10 lakhs ($22,000); those in the field for two to five years would get Rs 20 lakhs and those with more than five years’ experience Rs 30 lakhs.Those two conditions together have raised fears among the franchises – which Mallya vocalised on Sunday – that, far from protecting them from inducements, the system leaves them open to bidding wars that could violate the salary cap. More so because some of these players (see sidebar) could, in open auction, command several times the maximum they can under the BCCI’s rules. The only differentiator in a level playing field, it is feared, will be under-the-table deals.Mallya gave the example of Ravindra Jadeja, who was banned from IPL’s season 3 for attempting to negotiate a contract with a franchise on his own, and without the IPL’s knowledge. He’d been picked by Rajasthan Royals before the IPL’s first season when still an Under-19 player, and hence for a minimal sum, but sought better terms after success with the team.The most sought-after uncapped Indian players

Dhawal Kulkarni (Mumbai), Ajinkya Rahane (Mumbai), Iqbal Abdulla (Mumbai), Manish Pandey (Karnataka), T Suman (Hyderabad), R Satish (Tamil Nadu), Siddarth Trivedi (Gujarat), Abhishek Jhunjhunwala (Bengal), Harmeet Singh (Punjab), Rajat Bhatia (Delhi) Pinal Shah (Baroda)

The current situation could have been avoided, the franchises feel, had the rule not been changed last month. The original plan was for domestic players who had played 75% of their teams’ matches in IPL 3 to be part of the open auction and a transparent bidding process. That rule was changed to the current one following a suggestion from Mumbai Indians.The one ray of hope is the IPL’s “catchment area” rule, which states that franchises have to sign four players from the neighbouring, or “catchment”, areas. That would lessen the bidding war for coveted players but, as one franchise official said, there was “no clarity at all” on the definition and applicability of this rule.On its part the IPL has said it will do everything possible to stop unfair dealings. “That [poaching] is a very difficult situation for us but we will be monitoring,” Chirayu Amin, chairman of the league’s governing council. “If we come to know anything was done underhand we will take stern action against them (player and franchise). I agree that it is a difficult situation but we will be very vigilant.”