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The BCCI’s technical committee has recommended foreign players should not be allowed to play in domestic cricket from the 2009-10 season

Cricinfo staff08-Jul-2009The BCCI’s technical committee has recommended foreign players should not be allowed to play in domestic cricket from the 2009-10 season and the number of ‘guest players’ (those from areas outside their jurisdiction) be reduced to the original three.In the recent past England’s Vikram Solanki and Kabir Ali and Bangladesh’s Enamul Haque Jr played in the Indian domestic cricket.The committee has also recommended that Ranji knockout games be played on a home-and-away basis instead of neutral venues that were used for the last two seasons. “The venue would be decided based on the previous clash in knockout games between the two teams,” N Srinivasan, the honorary secretary of BCCI, said.It also suggested the BCCI ensure its contracted players turn out for their state sides when not playing for India. Last season Rahul Dravid (Karnataka) played three first-class games, Sachin Tendulkar (Mumbai) played two, while VVS Laxman (Hyderabad), Ishant Sharma, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir (Delhi ) played one each.The panel suggested that the Powerplay and ball-change rules in place for ODIs should be applicable for domestic limited-overs matches as well and expressed concern over the quality of SG balls used in domestic matches. In January this year the BCCI asked the ball manufacturing company for a clarification regarding the quality of balls supplied during the Ranji Trophy. It has been a trend, and a major concern, throughout the domestic competitions that the ball loses shape regularly, and has to be changed often – sometimes as many as four to five times during the first session of a matchIt approved the format for assessment of pitches for domestic tournaments and suggested the installation of a special committee – comprising Sunil Gavaskar, Kris Srikkanth and Chetan Chauhan – to go through pitch reports of the domestic match referees.The technical committee’s recommendations will be taken up for consideration by the board’s working committee when it meets in August 2009.

Wolves head coach Bruno Lage has told winger Adama Traore to take the next chance presented to him after Hwang Hee-chan scored twice in the 2-1 win over Newcastle United on Saturday.

The Lowdown: Contract stalemate

Traore has been at the club since he moved from Middlesbrough in 2018 and he has scored only 10 goals in 140 appearances for the Wanderers, setting up 18 in the same period.

The Spain international’s contract runs out in the summer of 2023 and was previously linked with a move away from Molineux in the last transfer window, but nothing materialised and he duly stayed put.

In Wolves’ 2-1 win over Newcastle, Hwang started ahead of Traore and scored twice, whilst Traore only came on in injury time despite being a key figure in Lage’s opening games in charge.

The Latest: Lage sends defiant message

Speaking after yesterday’s 2-1 win over Newcastle [via Birmingham Mail], Lage sent a message to his winger after leaving him out of the starting line-up.

“This is football,” said the Wolves boss. “This is our job, we don’t have easy decisions. It’s good for me to say, now you can understand better why I chose Joao (Moutinho) and Leander (Dendoncker) for the Southampton again and Ruben (Neves) and Joao for this game, why I choose Adama for some games and not other games.

“It’s not about Adama, it’s about all the players. I think, first of all, they need to understand my way to work, but also the man they have in front of them.

“I never lie to them, I’m here to help, to take the best from them and they need to continue to work. You can imagine one player stands on the bench and the other guy goes inside and scores two goals to help the team. When you have your chances, you need to go inside (and help the team).”

The Verdict: Traore has to prove his worth

Traore, especially under Nuno Espirito Santo, was one name always on the team sheet on a consistent basis. However, Lage has made a bold call to not include him in the starting line-up in the previous two games and has duly been rewarded with six points.

The Spain winger’s future at the club remains uncertain and a move elsewhere could be on the cards, but sitting on the bench and only playing for a few minutes here and there won’t do him or the club any good if selling him is their intention.

Labelled ‘undefendable’ by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp in the past, Traore’s power and pace has caused problems for many Premier League defenders, and he will want to continue to do so this season.

In other news, many Wolves fans were buzzing with this man’s performance. Find out more here.

This weekend will see Liverpool attempt to try and keep their unbeaten streak in the Premier League going with a clash against Watford at Vicarage Road next up for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Their previous league fixture saw the Reds draw 2-2 against Manchester City at Anfield, dropping a lead on two occasions to ultimately leave with just a point.

On the chalkboard

One player that featured in the draw against Pep Guardiola’s side that we feel should not be in the starting XI to face Watford is James Milner.

Liverpool signed Milner back in the 2015 summer window on a free transfer from City. Since then, the Englishman, who is currently valued at £2.7m according to Transfermarkt, has made a total of 255 appearances for the Merseyside club, more than any other club he’s played for throughout his career, scoring 26 goals and providing 42 assists along the way.

In his latest appearance for the Reds against his former club, Milner did not cover himself in glory filling in for Trent Alexander-Arnold who missed the game through injury.

Before being substituted in the second half, Milner failed to make a tackle, won just three out of the six ground duels he was involved in and lost possession on 15 occasions.

What made matters worse was the yellow card he picked up, a situation that was nearly exacerbated by his fortune in not receiving a second one after cynically tripping Bernardo Silva. All of that made him a real liability for the team on the day.

Taking this into account, we feel that Milner, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £140k-per-week at Liverpool according to Spotrac, should be dropped from the team to face Watford.

In terms of who could play there instead, we feel that if Alexander-Arnold is fit enough to play then he should take his place back in the team as he’s managed to provide two assists in five league games.

That’s ultimately earned him an impressive overall season rating of 7.81/10, making Mohamed Salah the only Liverpool player with a higher rating according to WhoScored.

If Alexander-Arnold isn’t fit enough to face the Hornets, however, we feel that Klopp should either turn to Neco Williams or Joe Gomez, who the German said are both capable of playing in that position prior to the City game.

In other news: 100% ground duels lost: Klopp surely worried about “exceptional” Liverpool gem on loan – opinion

The Bangladesh wicketkeeper will be Shakib Al Hasan’s deputy for the tour of Zimbabwe starting next month

Cricinfo staff28-Jul-2009Mushfiqur Rahim, the Bangladesh wicketkeeper, has been appointed vice-captain for the tour of Zimbabwe starting next month. Shakib Al Hasan, the stand-in captain for the current tour of West Indies, will continue to lead the side in the absence of Mashrafe Mortaza, who’s down with a knee injury.It’s the perfect reward for Mushfiqur, who was steady with the bat scoring 133 runs at 33.25 in the recently-concluded two-Test series against West Indies.Bangladesh will play five ODIs in Bulawayo from August 9 to 18.

Peter English presents the plays of the day from the third day of the deciding Test

Peter English at The Oval22-Aug-2009Battered, bruised and almost defeated
Things were bad enough for Ricky Ponting before he was clocked in the mouth by a hard Matt Prior drive from the ball before lunch. Australia had bled runs over the previous hour and now Ponting’s spit was red. He left with his team for the break, was treated and on the resumption wore grazes on both lips – and a helmet the next time he was at silly point. Andrew Flintoff came in and received a handshake of congratulation from Ponting, but was soon hurting the captain again when a shot cannoned into Ponting’s behind. He left the field briefly before tea for more mouth work.Nervous start
England’s most testing moment came from the first ball when Peter Siddle thought he had Jonathan Trott caught behind. The ball broke through the surface and leapt at the batsman, brushing his thigh but not his bat. Asad Rauf, who has made some bad decisions in this game, got this one right and England’s day was rosy.Close call
Trott’s left thigh was brushed on 97 when he inside-edged a ball from Ben Hilfenhaus that almost ricocheted into the stumps. By the end of the over he was the 18th Englishman to score a century and he waved his bat like a wand to salute the crowd. His mum was overcome, sitting in the stands crying at her son’s gutsy achievement.Shooting star
Another brief appearance from Flintoff in his last game. He stayed only 18 balls, clipping 22 before holing out to long-on off Marcus North. By then he had swiped North for two leg-side boundaries and pulled Peter Siddle for four in a contender for shot of the day. Nobody was sitting as he left the ground, with the Australian huddle also saluting him.False dawn
Mitchell Johnson’s five-wicket haul at Headingley feels as far away as the South Africa tour after another haphazard display at The Oval. Having stormed through two batsmen on Friday afternoon, Johnson was back to his wayward ways of early in the series, feeding the batsmen with short and wide balls, short and full ones, and actual wides that bounced well over the striker’s head. He got two overs at the start of the day and did not return until after lunch, giving away 38 in nine overs.Breaking the shackles
Andrew Strauss had fought all morning until he broke free against Stuart Clark with two special cover drives for four in consecutive balls. He walked down the pitch to the first one, beating the couple of men parked within a few metres of each other, and the next shot was even firmer, racing to the boundary before the fielders could move. The lead had passed 300 and soon Strauss and Trott had 32 in four overs, accelerating the game away from Australia.Mad mistake
The worst decision belonged to Prior, who picked the wrong man to take a quick single to. Simon Katich has been amazingly sharp in this game, picking up a great catch and a run-out on the second day, and it was silly of Prior to call yes when his push to cover went to Katich’s preferred left side. The direct hit sent him off with 4, providing the Australians with a rare happy moment.

Aston Villa are keen on making another approach for Bologna defender Aaron Hickey in the upcoming transfer window.

What’s the story?

His emergence onto the scene back in the 2019/2020 campaign saw numerous clubs register their interest in the 19-year-old, with BBC Sport claiming that along with Villa, the likes of Bayern Munich, Bologna and Sheffield Wednesday were all keen on luring him away from Scotland last summer – in the end, it was the Serie A side who won out.

Now, The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has claimed that Hickey once again is of high interest to Dean Smith’s side, and that the club are ready to make their approach in the coming weeks.

Perfect for Villa

The versatile defender enjoyed a breakthrough season with Scottish side Hearts in that 2019/2020 season, making 22 appearances in the league, scoring once and providing one assist too.

Able to play anywhere across the back-line at just 19, the £7.2m-rated Hickey has already shown incredible versatility, and it’s something Villa could make the most out of.

The man who gave him his first-team debut, Craig Levein, pointed out: “He’s got really good defensive qualities but I don’t know if he’ll end up being a full-back, he might end up going back into midfield. He could be a fantastic holding midfielder with his great awareness of danger and his ability to get out of tight situations with the ball at his feet.”

And after he made his debut for Bologna, manager Sinisa Mihajlovic, said: “He doesn’t speak Italian yet and he has to improve a few things but he’s a lad with quality and personality who did well today. Right up to the end I wasn’t sure whether to play him, because I had other players who have already started in that role, but I like to take risks.”

Given his age and versatility, Hickey could well become a long-term successor to Matt Targett, and fits into the framework of signings that Smith indicated this summer: young, British and with some decent experience already.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa could have their own Raheem Sterling in this academy starlet…

West Ham could be boosted by new investment in the near future and the ever-reliable ExWHUemployee has delivered a fresh update on the emerging situation…

What’s the word?

The Athletic revealed earlier this week that Czech Republic businessman Daniel Kretinsky is considering the purchase of a minority stake in the east London outfit. It’s thought that he is expected to buy a 27% share in the club and could increase that in the future.

Hammers insider Ex revealed that this was certainly the case to his ‘The West Ham Way’ Patreon website.

“As most of you will remember we exclusively broke the news that a Czech investor was looking to buy a stake in the club on the podcast,” he said.

“This stake purchase looks to be gaining some momentum elsewhere in the media now having not been given much coverage when we first spoke of it.

“This led us to believe that further talks must have happened recently and a couple of decent sources have since confirmed this after checking today.

“We have also been told by the club that the reports are true and that the deal is being spoken about, but isn’t as close as being suggested and that a full takeover has not been discussed, although it could be if an initial stake takeover is agreed.

“Talks will continue over the next few days.”

Exciting times ahead

This recent development is sure to leave many around the London Stadium absolutely buzzing as The Athletic also suggest that it could be the ‘beginning of the end of West Ham’s so-called “GSB” era.’

It is another step in the right direction for a club which is clearly on the up, having qualified for the Europa League last season and with Forbes ranking them as the 18th most valuable club in the world and the Premier League’s eighth most valuable at £370m.

Furthermore, they have also been given authority to increase their capacity, taking them past local rivals such as Spurs and Arsenal. If the Hammers continue to grow at this rate, they’ll have no trouble selling out 62,500 seats each and every week.

Much of the Irons’ fanbase has been against GSB for quite some time, with demonstrations against their leadership a frequent occurrence over the past two to three years.

Providing the club with some further investment will only aid their growth tenfold, especially given Kretinsky’s history. He has a 40% stake in Czech Republic’s biggest club Sparta Prague.

Elsewhere, the 46-year-old has investments in some big UK firms, including Sainsbury’s and the Royal Mail, so he’s certainly not foreign to the country – something which could be a worry with some other interested parties.

This seems to be the start of GSB moving on, with their London Stadium tax clause expiring in March 2023, so it’s definitely an exciting time to be a Hammers fan right now.

Many in east London will surely be delighted with this update from one of the most reliable sources in and around the club.

AND in other news, West Ham handed transfer boost over £31.5m-rated goal machine as Fabrizio Romano claim emerges…

Allrounder Thomas Odoyo has been confirmed as the second Kenyan joining new Zimbabwean franchise Southern Rocks

Cricinfo staff29-Sep-2009Allrounder Thomas Odoyo has been confirmed as the second Kenyan joining new Zimbabwean franchise Southern Rocks.Former Kenya captain Steve Tikolo is arriving in Harare on Tuesday afternoon after signing as player-coach for the Rocks.Odoyo, a veteran of 117 ODIs, will arrive early October with the rest of the Kenyan team for an Intercontinental Cup tie and five ODIs. He will then remain in the country to play for the Rocks.The arrival of the two experienced Kenyans will almost certainly boost a Rocks side that had an indifferent start to the restructured Zimbabwe domestic season. They lost to Manicaland Mountaineers in Mutare by eight wickets in the Logan Cup and by five wickets in the Faithwear one-day series.The news will be a blow to the game inside Kenya where the NPCA league has for a long time not been considered tough enough to bring on young players. The decision of two of the country’s best cricketers to play abroad will only further weaken it.

Some Wolves supporters believe that Adama Traore could leave the club in the January transfer window, having not played in the win over Everton.

It was another impressive night at the office for Bruno Lage’s side on Monday as the Toffees were beaten 2-1 at Molineux. Wolves were the better team throughout the contest and goals from Max Kilman and Raul Jimenez were enough to earn them another three points.

That’s now four wins and a draw in the last five league games – had it not been for Rodrigo’s late penalty away to Leeds United, it would be five victories on the bounce.

Traore didn’t feature against Everton, though, with the Spain winger failing to start a league game for the third time this season. He wasn’t brought off the bench either, Lage instead turning to the likes of Daniel Podence and Fabio Silva.

It has raised question marks among some supporters over the winger’s long-term future at Wolves, with journalist Luke Hatfield claiming that the club should consider selling the 25-year-old if a lucrative offer is made in January. There had been rumours in recent weeks that Liverpool and Tottenham have both shown interest in the player.

Wolves fans tip Traore for exit

These Wolves fans took to Twitter to outline their fears over Traore leaving in the near future following his snub from the line-up against Everton.

“Is this the beginning of the end for Traore? I can’t see him fitting into the style we were playing first half – quick, short passing. His head down, ball-carrying approach would disrupt that rhythm”

Credit: @TheFPLwolf

“I’m thinking Traore will be sold in January, doesn’t feel like he’s part of Bruno’s plans. What say you? Pod question”

Credit: @howiseeyou2

“Certainly if Trincao continues to improve, Neto to come back, Hwang emerging as a goalscorer and Podence as a lively 20 min substitute, then you have 2 from 4 to play around Raul. I’d look to sell Traore, go and get Renato Sanches and a centre half”

Credit: @robweaverwm

“I think Traore will be gone in January. Wolves will accept a bid of around £35million. Shame, as I think he’d have had a field day today”

Credit: @WWFC09

“Obvious Bruno doesn’t trust Traore so will see him moving on in January with others coming the opposite way. £30mil for Traore will be the catalyst for a few incomings”

Credit: @daveandwolves

“We’re selling Traore for sure in January. Traore is perfect for counter-attacking tactics but Bruno wants more players with skill in possession”

Credit: @mike93654619

In other news, three Wolves players stood out in the win against Everton. Find out who they are here.

Virender Sehwag has said fellow Indian opener Gautam Gambhir is a leading candidate to captain India in the future

Cricinfo staff26-Sep-2009Virender Sehwag has said his fellow opener Gautam Gambhir is a leading candidate to captain India in the future. Sehwag felt Gambhir, his team-mate at the club, state and national levels, had the potential to be groomed into a leader and that appointing him vice-captain in South Africa was clear indication that he could graduate into the captaincy.”He [Gambhir] is a good cricketer, is very intelligent and Delhi have won the Ranji Trophy under him already once [in 2007-08],” Sehwag said in Mumbai.Gambhir, named deputy to MS Dhoni in the Champions Trophy after Yuvraj Singh was forced home with a finger injury, was recently appointed Delhi Daredevils captain after Sehwag opted out of the role. Sehwag made public his intentions of not wanting the Indian vice-captaincy as he felt the selectors were better off grooming a youngster for the job, but was open to leading his country. “I never said I don’t want captaincy,” he said. “I don’t want to be the vice-captain of Indian team.”Elaborating on his decision to step down from the leadership role with the Daredevils, Sehwag said he was disappointed the team couldn’t qualify for the IPL final under him. “I tried for two years and we didn’t qualify for the finals so I told the owners to try someone else’s luck as mine was not working.”Sehwag targeted Australia’s tour of India for seven one-day internationals later this year as the time for his return to international cricket. He said he would start by playing for Rest of India in the Irani Trophy next week and then graduate to the Daredevils in the Champions League Twenty20 before the home series beginning October 25. “I’m not yet fit for international cricket as I can’t throw the ball from the boundary. During the Irani Cup I will be standing the slips since I’m the captain [of Rest of India] and if I perform I stand a good chance.”Sehwag returned to on-field cricket recently for the low-key JP Atray tournament after shoulder surgery for an injury sustained during the IPL and ruled him out of the ICC World Twenty20, a short visit to the West Indies, the triangular ODI series in Sri Lanka and the ongoing Champions Trophy.