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Brad Hodge’s timing with the bat has always been superb; now he hopes the timing of his latest cricket decision won’t hurt his career

Brydon Coverdale19-Jun-2009Brad Hodge’s timing with the bat has always been superb; now he hopes the timing of his latest cricket decision won’t hurt his career. For the first time since 1999, Hodge has chosen not to head to England during the off-season, even though a county spell would position him perfectly should the Ashes batsmen encounter any injury dramas.It’s an option that has been taken by his fellow Victorian David Hussey but Hodge has experienced enough selection disappointments over the years to know that whatever will be will be. It has been a confusing year for Hodge, who last played for Australia 13 months ago in the Kingston Test against West Indies and then slipped off the radar over the home summer despite piling up runs for Victoria.At 34, he wasn’t expecting a new Cricket Australia contract this year, even though he knew full well he was one of the country’s best 25 players. When he was given a deal for 2009-10 it gave him hope of a call-up but his name didn’t feature when the World Twenty20 and Ashes squads were picked.”I was disappointed not to be in the Ashes squad,” Hodge told Cricinfo. “It’s obviously hard work to get a little taste dangled, a carrot, and then not get selected. But that’s okay – I’m comfortable with where I am in cricket at the moment. There’s other things in my life that are happening around me.”One of the stars in the recent IPL series, Hodge has plenty to occupy his time. As well as studying a sports management masters course at university, he is waiting anxiously for his wife Meg to give birth to the couple’s second child, due any day now. His daughter is so close to arriving that as he played a game of laneway cricket with police and Indian students in Melbourne – as a display of unity after the recent violence against young Indians in Australia – his mobile phone was never far from his hand.Hodge was never shy of voicing his frustration at a lack of opportunities for Australia but he now has a more philosophical approach. There’s no doubt that becoming a father has helped to put things in perspective.When his son Jesse was born in 2006, Hodge flew out from Melbourne four days later for cricketing duties. Barring Australian selection, it was a situation he was not going to put his family in this time around, so county cricket was not on the agenda in 2009.”We talked about it previously and I just said, look, I think it’s time we stay home for the winter and enjoy each other’s company for a change, watch the Demons in the footy, and just try and get our lives a little bit settled,” Hodge said. “It would have been hard going over to England after the IPL – too much touring.”If they want me, you’re only a plane-ride away. I don’t plan on going over there and don’t expect to be over there [for the Ashes]. Hopefully I get a chance to play, possibly in the Twenty20s which they play against England later on. If I get selected I’ll be happy.”It was a surprise that Hodge, one of the most prolific Twenty20 batsmen in the world, wasn’t part of Australia’s squad for the World Twenty20. However, the next tournament is less than a year away, in the West Indies, and Australia’s failure this time means there is every chance Hodge could yet be a key short-format player for his country. He remains hopeful, but won’t be holding his breath.”Who knows what the future holds for me,” he said. “I’m not really sure. I don’t really lose sleep at night wondering when I’m going to play again. I used to, we have all done that, but I certainly don’t any more.”

Harrison Ashby may not be a name familiar with many West Ham fans but he could well be the next name to emerge from their Chadwell Heath academy base in the next few years.

The 19-year-old right-back has impressed David Moyes since the Scotsman returned to the dugout for a second time and could be in line for more opportunities throughout the season, having made his debut in last season’s Carabao Cup win over Charlton Athletic.

He was later named in the starting line-up against Hull City in the very same competition, featuring alongside Aji Alese and Ben Johnson in a youthful backline.

That fact that he was selected over many more youngsters, some of whom only made the bench, was rather telling and only goes to show how much Moyes thinks of the Scottish gem.

Just like Declan Rice, Ashby found his feet at the Irons after being released prematurely by local rivals Chelsea, so he could well follow in the England international’s footsteps in the near future.

West Ham have been blessed with plenty of young defensive talents over the years, with Glen Johnson being a notable name and he went on to have a glistening career, playing for the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool.

If Ashby can break into the first team, then he certainly has the potential to become the new Johnson around these parts.

The word “fearless” is something that has stuck with the promising full-back throughout his short career to date. It’s how his father, Barry, described him to The Athletic, and he was a former defender himself, featuring for Watford and Gillingham.

Whilst U Irons podcaster Sam Delaney echoed such sentiments after his senior debut, he said:

“He’s big as well. He’s like a big unit. He’s only young, but he’s like a giant. Usually, you’re used to seeing smaller players in those wing-back positions, but he looked big, strong, he was very fearless, decent on the ball.”

With more games in the Europa League and Carabao Cup to come, on top of the FA Cup in the New Year, and of course, the remainder of the Premier League season, the teenage sensation could be handed another opportunity to impress at some stage this term.

Ashby could well become the Hammers’ next Johnson, only this time, they’ll hope he stays and has a long career at the London Stadium.

AND in other news, Moyes could repeat his Bowen masterclass in West Ham swoop for £12m “special talent”…

Free State polished off Border, while Easterns and Western Province went on a run spree

Wisden Cricinfo staff03-Jul-2009Super Sixes – 3rd day
Free State 196 and 141 for 6 (Liebenberg 50) beat Border 153 and 183 (Sugden 46) by 4 wickets
ScorecardAfter bowling Border out for 183 at Bloemfontein, Free State made heavy work of reaching their modest target, losing six wickets in their quest for 141 and victory. Border had started the third day with a lead of 83, but only four wickets in hand. Craig Sugden contributed a solid 46 in 166 minutes before missing one from Kosie Venter. Dewald Pretorius took 3 for 25. With a day in hand Free State were in no hurry, and took 53 overs to score the runs they needed. Gerhardus Liebenberg top-scored with 50, while Charl Langeveldt, despite suffering from slight concussion after he was hit on the head while batting, ended up with 3 for 28. Five of the six wickets fell to catches by Abongile Sodumo, Border’s wicketkeeper.Griqualand West 185 and 128 for 2 (Gidley 48, Hector 66*) trail Western Province 554 for 2 dec (Puttick 250*, Ferreira 130, Duminy 100*) by 241 runs
ScorecardWestern Province continued to score at will at Newlands, with Andrew Puttick going on to a career-best 250 not out – he hit 36 fours and a six, from 479 balls, in four minutes less than ten hours at the crease – while Lloyd Ferreira and JP Duminy also made centuries. The 19-year-old Duminy oozes with talent, and after only seven first-class games he averages 90, with two hundreds and two half-centuries. His maturity speaks volumes, and a bright international future must be just around the corner. After the declaration at 554 for 2 Griqualand West lost a wicket in the first over, but recovered to 128 for by the close. But the Griquas, still 241 behind, have a lot of hard work ahead of them.North West 255 and 93 for 6 lead KwaZulu-Natal 227 (HM Amla 46, AM Amla 48, Roe 5-57) by 121 runs
ScorecardRain again forced the players off the field early at Durban, after North West had bowled Natal out for 227 to grab a slender 28-run lead. Garth Roe finished with five wickets. then Graham Grace, who made a century in the first innings, was again the thorn in Natal’s side, gritting it out to stumps for an unbeaten 30, but by then North West were struggling at 93 for 6, with three of the wickets falling to run-outs. With only four wickets to take, KwaZulu-Natal are slight favourites and may yet emerge from this rain-affected match with a win.Shield – 2nd day
Easterns 517 for 7 dec (Seymore 102, Koenig 71, Z de Bruyn 84, Cullinan 117) lead Eastern Province 127 for 2 (Bradfield 43*) by 390 runs
ScorecardEasterns added a further 202 runs to their overnight total at Port Elizabeth, before declaring at 517 for 7. Daryll Cullinan showed that he still has a lot to offer, scoring 117 at nearly a run a ball, with ten fours and five sixes, before the declaration. Brent Kops, on a bowler’s nightmare of a pitch, took 3 for 106. Eastern Province, having been batted out of the game, adopted a defensive approach and ended the day on 127 for 2 from 51 overs, with Carl Bradfield (43*) and James Bryant (36*) still there.Northerns v Gauteng
ScorecardFor the second day running there was no play at Centurion because of rain.

Tottenham Hotspur could have another Harry Kane in their ranks – and no, it’s not Dane Scarlett.

16-year-old striker Jamie Donley has been at the north London outfit for half of his life and this week he was named in the Guardian’s ‘Next Generation’ list, which profiles the best young talent from the Premier League’s 20 clubs.

The Northern Ireland-born striker, who is with the England U17s squad this week for their October fixtures, has impressed for the Lilywhites’ U18s side in recent times and now he’s being tipped for big things.

Guardian journalist David Hytner describes the teenage sensation as a ‘left-footed no.9’ who is ‘noted for his tenacity and finishing ability’, whilst he can also ‘drop off and show a good range of passing.’

In other words, he’s very much in a similar mould to the talismanic England international – a player who has been super prolific in the Premier League over several, several years.

Kane has scored at least 24 goals in every campaign since 2014/15 and that’s largely due to his clinical finishing ability and eye for goal.

Furthermore, particularly in recent seasons, the 28-year-old forward has become a creative outlet for his side – for example, last season, Kane provided 17 assists on top of his 33 goals, via Transfermarkt, whilst he also averaged 1.4 key passes per game (the second-most in the squad).

That highlights his range of passing and that’s exactly how the Guardian have described Donley.

The teen prodigy has found the net five times in five games in the U18 Premier League this season, taking his total for the youth squad to ten goals in 18 appearances, as per Transfermarkt.

Some of his performances have already had the Spurs faithful purring with excitement – one game against Norwich City, in particular, had many praising the young gem after he bagged himself a brace.

“Masterclass” and “stocks rising” were just two phrases used to describe his display that day.

So forget Scarlett, who will go onto become a different type of forward, Nuno Santo and co could well have another Kane in Donley. He may only be 16 but all the signs so far are hugely encouraging.

AND in other news, Paratici must axe “average” £18m-rated Spurs dud in Jan, Poch thought he was “perfect”…

Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi was excellent for England U21s as they scraped past Andorra in their Group G European Championship qualifier.

A well-taken goal from Arsenal youngster Emile Smith Rowe was all that separated the two sides at the final whistle after an underwhelming display from Lee Carsley’s Young Lions saw them win 1-0.

The attacking midfielder raced on to Curtis Jones’ pass to slot the ball into the bottom-left corner, finishing off a counter-attack following an Andorran corner on the 67-minute mark.

Smith Rowe’s finish secured all three points, keeping England in third position in the group, but it was a tougher night than expected.

Sheffield United’s Rhian Brewster was harshly sent off after collecting a second yellow card ten minutes into the second half, leaving the likes of Guehi with more defending to do than he had perhaps planned for.

The 21-year-old stood up to the test well, though, denying Andorra a single shot during the game as he captained them to victory.

As per SofaScore, Guehi received a match of 7.5 out of 10, the joint-second highest total awarded to any player on the pitch.

And when looking at his underlying numbers, it’s easy to understand why. The stocky centre-back dominated his striker throughout the 90 minutes, winning three of his four duels (75%) to deny the opposition attack on multiple occasions.

But Guehi was equally as impressive with the ball at his feet. He constantly kickstarted England attacks from the heart of his defence, having 96 touches and achieving a passing accuracy of 90% after finding a teammate with 17 of his attempted 19 long balls.

With the tricky trip to Arsenal coming up next at club level for Guehi, Palace manager Patrick Vieira will be hoping his summer signing can replicate this sort of form at the Emirates Stadium, inspiring the Eagles to a memorable result.

And, in other news…Journalist provides encouraging Crystal Palace injury update, fans will be delighted 

India have a tough task in trying to end South Africa’s unbeaten run

Ashwin Achal31-Jul-2009Match facts
Saturday August 1, 2009
Start time 9am (23:00 GMT)Big Picture
South Africa Emerging Players, who have won all eight matches – six 50-over games and two Twenty20s – will start clear favourites against India, who pipped Australia to the final after a victory over New Zealand in the last league match.India have been inconsistent in the tournament, winning and losing four matches. They’ve won as many 50-over matches as Australia, and made it to the final only because they won one out of two Twenty20 games while Australia lost both. India will be encouraged, though, by the fact that they ran South Africa close in both the games in the tournament, losing by in ten runs and four wickets.South Africa have an enviable record in the tournament, and the key has been the contribution of several players. There is no stand-out star with the bat for South Africa, but four of their batsmen have scored more than 150 runs.Form guide
(last five matches, most recent first)
South Africa – WWWWW
India – WWLLW
Watch out for..
Virat Kohli: Kohli has been in tremendous form, and is the third highest run-scorer of the series with 294 runs in six one-day matches. He has already scored a century and two fifties in six innings. In the crucial last league tie against New Zealand, Kohli hit a hurricane 92 from 86 balls to clinch victory while chasing a tricky target of 247.CJD de Villiers: The right-arm fast bowler has played four of the six one-day matches, but has made a big impact. He has raced to second on the wicket-takers list with nine, at an average of 13.33 and a miserly economy rate of 3.42 runs an over. de Villiers was the destroyer-in-chief in South Africa’s massive 183-run win over Australia Institute of Sports, picking up figures of 5 for 15 in six overs.Team news
South Africa might bring back middle-order batsman Stiaan van Zyl, while India will look to retain the same XI which won against New Zealand on Thursday. Murali Vijay, another India international, is set to remain on the bench, with the current opening partnership of Ajinkya Rahane and Kohli going great guns.South Africa: (likely) 1 Henry Davids, 2 Heino Kuhn (wk), 3 Rilee Rossouw, 4 Vaughn Van Jaardsveld (capt), 5 Stiaan van Zyl, 6 Dean Elgar, 7 Reeza Hendricks, 8 Daryn Smit, 9 CJD de Villiers, 10 Thandi Tshabalala, 11 Juan Theron, 12 Craig Alexander.India: (likely) 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Naman Ojha, 4 S Badrinath (capt), 5 Abhishek Nayar, 6 Manoj Tiwary, 7 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 8 Amit Mishra, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Pradeep Sangwan, 11 R Ashwin, 12 Sudeep Tyagi.Stats
India’s two most prolific batsmen have been Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli, who are second and third on the top run-scorers list of the torunamentBoth India and South Africa have three batsmen each in the top-10 run-scorers list – Rahane, Kohli and S Badrinath for India while South Africa is represented by Heino Kuhn, Farhaan Behardien and Vaughn van JaarsveldIndian fast bowler Sudeep Tyagi is the highest wicket-taker of the series with 10 wickets in five matches at an average of 18.30 Badrinath, the Indian captain, scored 86 runs in his first five innings before finally finding some form, scoring an unbeaten 81 in India’s last match, against New Zealand. de Villiers’ bowling average of 13.33 is the best among bowlers who have taken at least five wickets in the tournament.

Many Manchester City fans were left slamming the display of the referee in the first half of their game away at Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League.

Istvan Kovacs of Romania was put in charge for the group stage match in Belgium, and there were a few fouls given against Pep Guardiola’s team that were questionable.

Jack Grealish was penalised early on in the half when through on goal, Kevin De Bruyne was on the end of a controversial decision against him, and Aymeric Laporte was given a yellow card just after the half hour mark, despite it looking like that he did not make much contact at all with the player.

Grealish also had a goal disallowed for a foul in the build-up, which a lot of MCFC supporters thought was very soft to say the least.

Man City fans on ref display

These members of the Etihad Stadium faithful slammed the performance of the ref in the first half on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that he was ‘awful’:

“This ref is awful”

Credit: @EthanMekoUK

“How bad is this ref so far? jeezzz”

Credit: @ThorpPau

“This ref has already thrown the game and we’re just over 10 minutes in”

Credit: @HansSwoleman

“Ref having a nightmare”

Credit: @cjkms98

“Ref’s a disgrace”

Credit: @NateKRono

“Ref stinks already not surprised”

Credit: @citybyron

In other news, find out which £100m-rated ace City have ‘every chance’ of making an offer for here!

The most vivid impression they have left through the tour is of an incongruent bunch of individuals, just not entirely with it when they take the field

Jamie Alter at the Premadasa Stadium11-Sep-2009″In terms of putting up results, we’ve just not learned anything on tour,” Daniel Vettori said after the game, and that pretty much summed up the outing with which New Zealand signed off a disappointing tour.The common mantra during New Zealand’s stay has been the need to learn from mistakes and play positive cricket, rather than letting defeat lead to further disappointment. After New Zealand beat Sri Lanka 2-0 in the Twenty20 internationals, Vettori validated that theme by crediting a tremendous turnaround and hoped to make the final of this tri-series keeping the Champions Trophy in mind. However, there appeared to be only one team that went for the jugular today. Unfortunately for New Zealand, it wasn’t them.Faced with a must-win scenario, they won the toss and batted. But their display in the first 15 overs of the match was so shockingly poor that they deserved what they got – nothing at all. India were in a celebratory mood as early as the first over, when Ashish Nehra trapped a leaden-footed Jesse Ryder lbw. He followed it up by having Brendon McCullum also lbw, to one that didn’t swing, and an indifferent start became a poor one when Ross Taylor flirted fatally with an RP Singh delivery.The bowling was very sharp, but not menacing. On a sluggish track that offered no malice, New Zealand’s batsmen simply failed to play proper cricket against accurate bowling. Ryder and McCullum’s feet went nowhere against the kind of sharp left-arm bowling they’ve faced for a fair amount of time on this tour. Ryder’s dismissal was a replica of how he was out in the last game. Martin Guptill, not for the first time in Sri Lanka, was out to an innocuous delivery before even judging the turn and pace of the track.Grant Elliott got a bad ball, adjudged caught down the leg side off his pads, but what had happened before was shocking. By the time Elliott was dismissed the damage had been done, thanks to another poor display of batting from a line-up struggling for form and confidence. Jacob Oram popped up a simple return catch to Ishant Sharma when he came back for a second spell. Yuvraj was called back and struck first ball, as Neil Broom gently chipped to midwicket.New Zealand’s batting card pretty much summed up the tour they’ve had: the message just hasn’t seem to get across. “I don’t want to go on like a broken record, but we’ve consistently put ourselves under pressure with the bat all series,” Vettori said. “Today we needed someone to go and get an unbeaten 70 or 80 but that didn’t happen. It’ll kill you in any game, not getting partnerships. Unfortunately, nobody stood up. It’s frustrating.”New Zealand came into this series as the No.4 team in the world. They had won three of their last four one-day series. They were apparently confident after winning the Twenty20s. Two walloping defeats later they look visibly shell-shocked. New Zealand have been surprised, it seems, by the ferocity of cricket played by Sri Lanka and India in two games. They crashed out of the series today due to the uncertainty and instability in their style of play.Where did it all go wrong? Look back to Tuesday, when after having Sri Lanka in deep strife at 69 for 5 they managed to capitulate to a 97-run defeat. The batting was woeful – New Zealand lost two wickets in one over and three in another – and that handed the momentum back to Sri Lanka. Andy Moles, New Zealand’s coach, wasn’t happy that night and insisted there were no easy answers as the team continued a downward spiral in the one-day game.The most vivid impression they have left through the tour is of an incongruent bunch of individuals, just not entirely with it when they take the field. Some of New Zealand’s younger and inexperienced players just looked overawed in alien conditions. There has been the odd flourish, notably in the Twenty20s, but the lack of direction is stark. Repeatedly, batsmen have been dismissed in the same manner. New Zealand’s line-up has struggled against left-arm pace. They have appeared torn between attack and defence. Having been in Sri Lanka near six weeks, it looked like they’d arrived on the same day as India when the batsmen faced up this afternoon.The series has been lost, but what has been gained? What has a player like Guptill taken from this tour? He struggled in all three formats, not once really making his presence felt. After showing glimpses of genuine talent against West Indies and India at home, he now resembles a walking wicket. What can the likes of Elliott and Broom, who were restricted to a couple of games, taken from watching their more experienced team-mates struggle?These are but a few questions facing Vettori and Moles as they enter a new chapter, as national selectors. The situation isn’t by any means unsalvageable, but it’s hard to see where the change is going to come before they play hosts South Africa – the No. 1 side in ODIs – at Centurion in two weeks.

Gautam Gambhir has disagreed with the view that the IPL sides are at a disadvantage in the Champions League Twenty20

Nagraj Gollapudi in Delhi05-Oct-2009Gautam Gambhir, Delhi Daredevils’ newly appointed captain, has disagreed with the view that IPL sides are at a disadvantage in the Champions League Twenty20 because, unlike other teams who play as a group throughout the year, their players get together only for franchise tournaments.Ray Jennings, the Royal Challengers Bangalore coach, had predicted a tough road for the three IPL teams and stressed about the quality of the opposition, which he felt would be different. While it was a challenge to work on team strategies in such a short period, Gambhir was confident because many of his senior players had been playing international cricket. “Most of our international players have been playing one-day cricket and are in very good nick and that can be used to our advantage,” he said.Despite the absence of AB de Villiers, who withdrew due to a back injury, and concerns over the availability of Paul Collingwood, who suffered a buttock strain in the ICC Champions Trophy, Delhi still have a formidable top order in Virender Sehwag, Tillkaratne Dilshan and Gambhir.David Saker, Delhi’s coach, was confident about his side’s prospects. “Losing AB is a big loss but we probably have got the best two or three batters in any form of the game – Viru [Sehwag], GG [Gambhir]and Dilshan,” Saker said. He said the fielding was the only department where Delhi would miss the agility of de Villiers.Delhi open their campaign against Victoria on October 9 and it could be an interesting duel between the two coaches: Greg Shipperd is Delhi’s head coach in the IPL and Saker, Victoria’s bowling coach, is his deputy. But Shipperd will guide Victoria’s fortunes in the Champions League while Saker temporarily fills in his Delhi role. Asked if Shipperd might pass on some valuable inputs to Victoria, Gambhir said the possibility did not bother him. “It is going to be even as we’ve got David Saker, who will pass on some information about Victoria players. So it is going to be good contest when you have two coaches who know each and every thing about every player.”Saker said the injury concerns to some of the international players had only opened doors for the Indian domestic players to rise to the challenge and get noticed. “Mithun Manhas and Rajat Bhatia have been waiting for an opportunity and now with these injuries there is a chance that they will come in and play a major role,” Saker said.

A journalist has revealed that Brendan Rodgers is now a ‘serious contender’ to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United.

The Lowdown: Under pressure

Solskjaer is now under pressure to keep his job after the recent 5-0 drubbing at home to bitter rivals Liverpool, and their game away at Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend could prove pivotal.

Erik ten Hag is one name to have been mentioned as his potential successor should he leave Old Trafford, as the Red Devils sit in a measly seventh place in the Premier League table, with just 14 points after nine games played and a whopping 15 goals conceded, the joint-most in the top half (Premier League).

The Latest: Rodgers likely?

As per ESPN journalist Alex Shaw,  Rodgers is now emerging as a ‘serious contender’ to replace Solskjaer, and has support ‘within United’.

However, the possibility of Antonio Conte joining instead has not been ruled out yet, but there are reportedly ‘concerns’ with the former Chelsea and Inter Milan manager.

The Verdict: Get it done

If any team lose 5-0 at home to their biggest rivals, their manager would be under immense pressure.

It seems as if with no major trophies delivered to Man Utd so far, now may be the time for Solskjaer to go.

In that case, Rodgers could be the perfect replacement, in spite of his Liverpool links.

Described as one of the ‘outstanding’ managers in the top flight by none other than former United captain Gary Neville back in November, Rodgers has proven unlike Solksjaer that he can win trophies in England, by winning the FA Cup and Community Shield with Leicester City, a team not part of the so-called ‘big six’ (Transfermarkt).

His sides win a very impressive 1.83 points per game, which is more than Solskjaer, and while the latter has only managed Molde in Norway and Cardiff City elsewhere, Rodgers has also managed in the Premier League with both Liverpool and Swansea City and has plenty of European experience with both the Merseysiders and Celtic.

Nonetheless, the Northern Irishman would surely be an inspired appointment.

In other news, find out who could leave MUFC next summer here!