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NWFP lived up to their favourites tag for the final and finished the tournament unbeaten as Baluchistan’s last batting pair failed to hold on for a win

Cricinfo staff28-Nov-2008
Scorecard
The triumphant NWFP team © Cricinfo
Resistance from Baluchistan did not last long on the final day of the Pentangular Cup final at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. They began the fifth day needing 38 to beat NWFP, but the tenth-wicket pair of Azharullah and Zulfiqar Babar – who had added 17 runs on the fourth day – could manage only nine more.Umar Gul, the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) captain, struck a timely blow to seal the title. He bowled Azharullah for 5, his first wicket in Baluchistan’s second innings. Babar was left stranded on 21. It ended a tense, low-scoring final and denied Baluchistan a remarkable win: the province has historically been the weakest in terms of cricket talent in Pakistan and this side was made up of a number of guest players invited from around the country, including captain Misbah-ul-Haq, from Punjab.NWFP, who began the final as favourites, won all five games on the way to their first Pentangular title (the tournament has only been contested exclusively by provinces since 2005-06). They were comfortably the most stable side through the tournament, brushing aside the heavily-favoured Sind and Punjab, two provinces which have provided historically the bulk of the national team.Baluchistan’s Saeed Bin Nasir – originally from Sind – brought some cheer, finishing leading run-scorer in the tournament, with 419 at an average of 52.37, closely followed by NWFP’s Adnan Raees. NWFP medium-pacers Shakeel-ur-Rehman and Junaid Khan – with the odd Gul cameo – were crucial to their side’s success and the highest wicket-takers, taking 55 wickets between them.The Pentangular ODI cup is due to begin from December 15, with the bulk of the tournament to be played in Karachi.

Dean Windass reckons that Ryan Sessegnon fits into any system – and expects the youngster to get a crack under Nuno Espirito Santo.

Signed by Mauricio Pochettino just over two years ago, the 21-year-old has endured a difficult spell in north London, making just 12 appearances and only six in the Premier League.

Sessegnon had looked set to get his opportunity under Jose Mourinho 12 months ago, but the arrival of Sergio Reguilon ended his hopes of making a claim for that starting left-back role.

However, a successful loan spell in Germany with Hoffenheim looks to have given the wide man confidence ahead of the new Premier League season.

An injury early on in pre-season forced Sessegnon to miss all of Tottenham’s five pre-season outings, but the former Fulham man has since returned to training and will be desperately trying to impress the new boss, especially with Spurs’ new European campaign getting underway later this month.

Windass exclusively told Football FanCast:

“It didn’t work out for him under Mourinho, so Sessegnon will be delighted a new manager has come in.

“He fits any system. If you play four at the back he can play left-back, if you can 4-4-2, he can play left-wing, if you play 3-5-2, he can play left wing-back, he can play in any system.

“I think Nuno will give him a better opportunity than Mourinho did.”

Aston Villa could create an exciting partnership by signing Sampdoria flier Mikkel Damsgaard this summer.

What’s the story?

According to Calciomercato, Dean Smith’s side are one of a number of clubs, both domestically and from abroad, who are interested in signing the Denmark international in this transfer window.

The report claims that Damsgaard’s future will be decided in the next few days, and that while Sampdoria’s manager has spoken about his desire to keep him, it remains to be seen whether he will remain with the Serie A outfit.

Imagine him and Leon Bailey

The £18m-rated winger has been hailed as being “phenomenal” by Denmark teammate, Kasper Schmeichel, for his performances during EURO 2020 over the summer – Damsgaard of course was the man who struck that superb free-kick in the semi-finals against England at Wembley Stadium.

Villa of course have already brought in a couple of winger additions in the likes of Emi Buendia and Leon Bailey, and it’s Damsgaard’s potential partnership with the latter that really has the potential to excite at Villa Park.

Like Bailey, Damsgaard has got an abundance of pace, and according to Norwegian football expert, Martin Mikkelsen, he is “dynamic and can go both ways.”

And, former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell added to his list of lengthy admirers, saying “he looks very sharp on the ball and has an eye for goal too.”

When you look at his eye-catching displays for Denmark at the EUROs, you can see someone who can make a real difference in the final third and is very similar to the way Bailey operates.

As per Whoscored, Damsgaard averaged an impressive 1.8 shots, 1.2 key passes and 1.8 dribbles per game during the competition – all evidence of someone who’s direct, forward thinking but also has the creativity to pick out his teammates and set them up.

In comparison, Bailey averaged 1.9 shots, 1.6 key passes and 2.5 dribbles per game in the Bundesliga last season.

With Damsgaard right-footed, and Bailey left, Villa could have two inside forwards operating at the same time and cutting in for devastating effect.

Having the duo wreak havoc on either side could cause real nightmares for Premier League sides coming up against them, and makes Damsgaard a perfect acquisition for Smith this summer.

With Anwar El Ghazi linked with an exit, and Trezeguet on the shelf with an injury, Damsgaard’s arrival bolsters Villa’s options on the left-hand side and gives them a real goal threat going forward.

Meanwhile, Gregg Evans has dropped an Aston Villa transfer update…

Surrey’s captain, Mark Butcher, has called on the county’s younger players to prove they can reach the top level of the domestic and international game

Cricinfo staff06-Dec-2008
Surrey’s old hands of Mark Ramprakash and Mark Butcher need to be complemented by the younger players, feels their captain © Martin Williamson
Surrey’s captain, Mark Butcher, has called on the county’s younger players to prove they can reach the top level of the domestic and international game.”We have had a pretty lean time here in terms of having exceptionally talented young guys coming through and that has to change,” he told the . “You can have all the talent and coaching in the world, but there comes a time when the players have to apply that and take it forward themselves.”Batting coach Graham Thorpe and myself know only too well what it takes to reach the highest level and at times some of our youngsters have not appreciated that.”During what was a thoroughly disappointing season, Surrey handed Matt Spriegel a two-year contract on the basis of a promising start to his first-class career, yet were forced to release Neil Saker. Saker, 24, joined in 2003 but managed just 18 first-class matches during an injury-hit stay. His best performance was 5 for 76 against Lancashire in 2007.”The likes of Arun Harinath and Laurie Evans have the potential to blossom, while Matt Spriegel has shown he has the technique and temperament to progress,” said Butcher. “They will be given their chance, but it is not just a case of giving players 10 games to establish themselves. Players have to know that they will only get that chance if they score runs or take wickets.”Butcher himself started the season impressively, averaging 57.88 in ten matches, but without him at the helm Surrey endured a disastrous campaign. They failed to win a Championship match all season, and Mark’s father, Alan, was sacked as coach after their relegation to Division Two.Butcher expected to be back in action come March, and hoped Surrey would also change around their fortunes. “It is an exciting tome for the club and the chance to build a proper future. We might be able to look back in six years time and say relegation was the best thing to happen to us,” he said. “We are good enough to get promoted. The worst case scenario for me would be if we fail to go up and don’t discover performers outside of the core we already have.”

A rebuilding South Africa sealed a series victory during a dominating performance in Adelaide that earned a 3-1 lead

The Bulletin by Peter English26-Jan-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Hashim Amla sealed the series victory with a stylish 80 as South Africa controlled the hosts © Getty Images
A rebuilding South Africa sealed a series victory over an Australian outfit struggling with the same phase during a dominating performance in Adelaide that earned a 3-1 lead. The tourists arrived last month hoping for some success against the world champions in the Test and one-day formats, but they will leave with commanding victories in each arena after wrapping up this five-match contest before Friday’s final fixture in Perth.While South Africa’s order has gained confidence, from Herschelle Gibbs at the top to Albie Morkel and Johan Botha towards the bottom, the Australians are in worse shape than when they began. Throughout the series their batting has struggled to build on strong platforms and they wasted another chance on Monday as they dropped from the comfort of 2 for 110 in the 20th over to 222 in the 48th.The visitors have conquered much bigger totals than that this month and there was little to worry about once Gibbs determined to hit as many boundaries as possible. Hashim Amla was stylish as usual in a controlled 80 off 103 balls while AB de Villiers, who had stood in behind the stumps for Mark Boucher, sped towards 82 from 85 after starting calmly. The result came with 71 balls remaining and South Africa hadn’t even called for the batting Powerplay.South Africa showed how good the pitch was and how bad Australia’s total was as the home side’s bowlers suffered as well. At times it looked like a tour game and the international batsmen were trying to out-do each other.Gibbs eased eight boundaries in his 29-ball 38 and Amla maintained a lively pace while finding gaps on both sides of the wicket from the fast men. de Villiers, who swept to a half-century with a four and a six from David Hussey, joined in after Jacques Kallis (13) flicked James Hopes to midwicket and they were 100 in 15 overs.The pace slowed a touch as Amla and de Villiers wanted to make sure of the victory, but it increased with de Villiers feeling comfortable and the win came shortly after sunset. It was not the sort of national holiday the Australians in the crowd had wanted after sitting through a day with temperatures in the mid to high 30s.Each time the hosts have threatened to sprint away against South Africa they have been roped back and it happened again. Australia failed to copy their pre-match talk and flopped after losing four key wickets in the middle of the innings to throw away the gains made by Ricky Ponting’s aggressive half-century.They were 2 for 17 in the third over before Ponting and Michael Hussey steered them away from the initial danger in a 93-run partnership. It was the brightest period of the match for the home team before Botha, the captain, restricted them during another strong performance with ball and brain.Botha picked up two wickets in a ten-over spell worth 28 as the batsmen were unable to work out ways of deflecting him. His first breakthrough came when Hussey (28) was unhappy to be lbw trying to sweep and the collection was completed with a careless shot from Brad Haddin.Ponting, who edged Albie Morkel on 38 but was given not out, was set for a big score until he found Neil McKenzie at short cover. He walked off wanting more than 63 off 70 as the South Africans congratulated Makhaya Ntini. Ntini (3 for 52) and Dale Steyn (3 for 49) were the most successful bowlers after ignoring some harsh early treatment.Instead of joining the second recovery, Haddin swiped at Botha and was caught at deep midwicket for 3 and David Hussey (24) followed with an airy square drive. The situation was suddenly a dire 6 for 151 and the contest had turned one-sided. Cameron White, who mixed caution and bouts of aggression in his 30, added 37 with James Hopes, who finished with 42 off 44. Australia’s problems were compounded by them not having taken the batting Powerplay, which was eventually called in the 43rd over with the score 8 for 189.When Ponting was involved such a situation was unthinkable. He started loosely but tightened up as he unleashed five boundaries in seven balls. The burst was responsible for Australia reaching 66 from the first ten overs, a feat made more impressive after the early losses of Shaun Marsh and David Warner. Ponting’s fifty came up in the 15th over, but he soon joined the list of unnecessary dismissals.In the past five home one-day series Australia have beaten only New Zealand and Bangladesh. Fortunately for Ponting, Daniel Vettori’s men are their opponents in the Chappell-Hadlee Series next week. However, more appointments are scheduled with the formidable South Africans before the end of February.

Liverpool have been linked with a move for Sevilla forward Lucas Ocampos as manager Jurgen Klopp looks to bolster his attacking options.

What’s the story?

According to Spanish publication Fichajes (as relayed by the Daily Star), the Reds are contemplating making a move for the highly-rated 27-year-old with only a few days remaining of the current window.

Ocampos is under contract at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan until 2024 and would command a sizeable fee if Liverpool are serious about pursuing their interest in the Argentina international.

Liverpool fans will be buzzing

The South American forward arrived at Sevilla from Ligue 1 outfit Marseille back in 2019 in a £12.8m move and has enjoyed two successful seasons with Julen Lopetegui’s charges.

In 90 appearances for Los Nervionenses, Ocampos has bagged 25 goals and provided nine assists, playing a pivotal part in their 2019/20 Europa League triumph and back-to-back top-four La Liga finishes.

Speaking about the versatile forward previously, Fede Prami, a journalist and River Plate fan recalled his days in Argentina, calling him “electric.”

And, therefore, it’s easy to understand why Klopp is reportedly keen to add Ocampos to his first-team squad before the August 31st deadline.

With Xherdan Shaqiri sealing his move to Lyon, the German tactician has space for another overseas talent, and the funds generated from his departure should give Klopp room to maneuver in the market, meaning a replacement for the diminutive Swiss attacker could be on the way.

Although Liverpool’s current front four of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota have all found the back of the net in the opening weeks of the new campaign, the 19-time English champions are likely to need greater strength in depth in order to fight on multiple fronts.

Therefore, a large section of the club’s supporters will surely be buzzing to learn of the Anfield outfit’s interest in the £36m-rated magician.

After watching their domestic rivals spend huge money on several superstar acquisitions in the final third of the pitch, Liverpool’s director of football Michael Edwards must follow suit, providing Klopp with the resources he needs to guide the Merseysiders back to the Premier League summit.

And, in other news…Liverpool receive boost in pursuit of “incredible” 23-y/o gem, Klopp would love him 

If you were initially left perplexed by Everton’s transfer business in the window, then you can forget about criticising them for now.That’s because the Toffees have taken seven points from nine available in the first three games of the season, despite spending just £1.7m in the market.What’s the word?That being said, the end to the ongoing window could be a bizarre state of affairs for the Merseyside outfit.Rafa Benitez is still intent on concluding some business, with Luis Diaz potentially arriving from Porto in a swap deal with James Rodriguez.That deal is certainly a cunning one, but a prospective move which fails to make much sense is Salomon Rondon. Everton have been interested in the powerful Venezuelan forward for a while now but they have actually opened negotiations just a few days before the deadline.That’s according to Alan Myers, who delivered the following seven-word update via Twitter on Sunday evening: “Everton in talks to sign Salomon Rondon.”Fans must be annoyedBenitez knows Rondon incredibly well from his time at Newcastle United. In fact, the striker was one of the most swashbuckling attackers in the Premier League. If he had more goals in him, he’d be incredibly difficult for defenders to handle.In total, the Venezuela international racked up 26 goals in 61 appearances under the Spaniard, but the way in which Everton could sign Rondon in the coming hours should leave supporters aghast.That’s because he’d be replacing Moise Kean in the squad. The Italian’s days have been numbered at Goodison Park for months now and he appears to be on the cusp of re-joining Juventus.He was in red hot form for PSG last season, however, scoring against Barcelona in the Champions League on his way to netting 17 goals for the club in all competitions.On that evidence, it’s tricky to suggest that he’s not up to the standard to play for Everton. Combine that with the fact that Kean is only 21 and it makes the decision to axe him even more peculiar.Bringing in a young player as his successor would be smart work but Rondon is a strange replacement. For starters, he is now 31 years of age, and secondly he is set to command a pretty hefty salary judging by his £8m-per-year (£154k-per-week) wages in China.Kean is a talented individual who possesses immense potential but the former Newcastle forward is at the opposite end of his career.He might well offer valuable back-up but this whole sequence of events should leave Everton fans angry at the club’s transfer plans.AND in other news, Everton keen on signing “explosive” £42.8m-rated gem, he could be another Walcott…

New Zealand have rung the changes ahead of their Twenty20 match against Australia, bringing in four players who have not been part of the Chappell-Hadlee Series

Cricinfo staff12-Feb-2009
James Franklin is back in the mix for New Zealand © AFP
New Zealand have rung the changes ahead of their Twenty20 match against Australia, bringing in four players who have not been part of the Chappell-Hadlee Series. Their 13-man squad for the one-off match in Sydney on Sunday includes the allrounders James Franklin, Nathan McCullum and Ian Butler and the backup wicketkeeper Peter McGlashan.Jeetan Patel, Peter Fulton, Gareth Hopkins, Craig Cumming, Trent Boult and Brendon Diamanti will head home after Friday’s final one-day international and will not be part of the Twenty20 setup. The chairman of selectors Glenn Turner said they had decided to bring in multi-skilled players who they felt were well suited to the shorter format.”James Franklin has been scoring very well in the State Twenty20 competition – and at a very good strike rate,” Turner said. “He comes in primarily as a batting allrounder. Ian Butler will play as a bowling allrounder with his brisk medium pace, and an ability to hit big at the death.”Nathan McCullum has also been in good form and is a valuable allrounder. He is well suited to this form of the game with his offspin and aggressive batting. Peter McGlashan is a good improviser with the bat in the middle order, and also gives us cover for Brendon McCullum as wicketkeeper.”Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand captain, was impressed by the return ofButler, who has reinvented himself since being dropped from thenational team in 2004. “It’s Mark Richardson-esque, being able to turnyourself around from one part of the game to be able to bat six or sevenand still bowl a bit,” Vettori said. “I’m pretty excited for him and he’sa pretty excitable guy. He’ll be champing at the bit when he gets here,but it’s nice to see a player not give up and put so much work and effortin and be able to make it back.”At the time of his exit Butler was called “pea-hearted” by BrendonBracewell, the brother of the then-coach John, but Vettori said he had astrong attitude. “He’s probably one of the biggest triers I’ve ever met,”Vettori said. “He’s relentless in all he does on and off the park.”While New Zealand have kept their key players, Australia have chosen to rest the captain Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey for Sunday’s game. The Australians depart for their Test tour of South Africa the following day, while New Zealand head home to prepare for their series against India.New Zealand squad Brendon McCullum (wk), Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Grant Elliott, Neil Broom, Nathan McCullum, Peter McGlashan (wk), James Franklin, Kyle Mills, Daniel Vettori (capt), Tim Southee, Ian Butler, Iain O’Brien.

Danny Cowley has enjoyed a positive start to the 2021/22 season, with his Portsmouth side sat on 10 points after five matches.

The former Huddersfield coach had the perfect opening three games of the campaign as his team won each time without conceding a goal. They then ended the month with a slight drop-off in form as they endured a draw and a defeat.

Pompey beat Fleetwood, Crewe Alexandra and Shrewsbury before drawing with Doncaster to make it four clean sheets out of four. However, the ended August with a 1-0 defeat to Wigan, which could give them the motivation to immediately get back to winning ways this month.

Despite their strong start, there are areas in which Cowley can analyse the team and look to improve upon, with John Marquis in particular struggling during August.

He started all five of Portsmouth’s games and averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.64, which was the second-lowest in the squad behind George Hirst, who is yet to start a league match for the club. This suggests that the 29-year-old was the worst-performing starter in the side, according to SofaScore’s metrics.

Taking a deeper dive into his statistics from August, it is easy to see why he has been rated so poorly. The towering centre-foward scored just once in 392 minutes of action across five games, whilst missing one big chance and taking six shots. He also only created one chance for his team-mates in five matches, failing to demonstrate creativity in the final third.

As per SofaScore, the 29-year-old lost possession of the ball 45 times in five matches – nine times per game. This was from 24.8 touches per match, which means that he gave the ball once every 2.75 touches. Cowley will surely be frustrated that his striker failed to provide a reliable outball for his teammates to hit, as he relinquished possession to the other team all too frequently.

The forward also lost a dismal 70% of his duels on the pitch. He won 41% of his ground duels and a mere 12% of his aerial battles, suggesting that he was well off the pace in terms of the physical battle against Portsmouth’s opponents in their first five games.

Along with his lack of cutting edge in front of goal, his failure to keep hold of possession and his lack of creativity highlights that he struggled throughout August and frankly had a disaster of a month. Hopefully September will bring more joy for the former Millwall man.

AND in other news, Pompey fans will be buzzing with Cowley’s claim on gem tipped to “become a top player”…

Lonwabo Tsotsobe, the South African left-arm seam bowler, has been awarded a central contract by Cricket South Africa

Cricinfo staff21-Feb-2009
Lonwabo Tsotsobe is among the 16 contracted players for the forthcoming year © Getty Images
Lonwabo Tsotsobe, the South African left-arm seam bowler, has been awarded a central contract by Cricket South Africa (CSA). The board today announced its list of 16 contracted players and the notable absentees are fast bowlers Andre Nel and Monde Zondeki and allrounder Robin Peterson.Tsotsobe had an impressive ODI debut during the tour of Australia last month, taking 4 for 50 in the fifth ODI in Perth.”He is a very committed young man and has fitted into the South African set-up very well indeed,” CSA chief executive Gerald Majola said. “He certainly proved his mettle in the final ODI against Australia, when he took 4 for 50 on debut in Perth, and bowled exceptionally well during the last Powerplay which helped South Africa win the match and the series 4-1.”Lonwabo’s fast left-arm swing bowling also brings a new dimension to the attack, and he will certainly be a contender for both Tests and ODIs”.Majola added that the board had decided to retain the existing six-team franchise system in domestic cricket after its Franchise Review Committee withdrew its report which contained a recommendation that extra franchises be awarded to Border and Griqualand West.”The committee members felt that the cricketing and financial landscape had changed significantly both here and abroad since its review, and consequently they withdrew their report,” Majola said. “The CSA board agreed to the withdrawal of the report, and the franchise status quo will remain for now.”Contracted players: (from May 2009 to April 2010) Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Herschelle Gibbs, Paul Harris, Jacques Kallis, Neil McKenzie, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Makhaya Ntini, Ashwell Prince, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.