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A round-up of matches in the Faithwear Clothing Inter-Provincial One-Day Competition

Cricinfo staff28-Sep-2009Mashonaland Eagles blew their chance to record a first win in the Faithwear Clothing one-day competition when they lost to Midwest Rhinos by three runs at the Kwekwe Sports Club. The result meant the Rhinos have now won their first two matches, following their 61-run victory over Matabeleland Tuskers.Needing four to win and with more than three overs left in the match, Tino Mutombodzi, who was bating with Admire Manyumwa, set off for a run that wasn’t there. An alert Rhinos captain Vusumuzi Sibanda sent in the ball to wicketkeeper Brendan Taylor, who ran out Mutombodzi.Taylor top scored with 62 as the Rhinos, after choosing to bat, were bowled out for 252 in 49.2 overs. The home side had been reduced to 12 for 3 after Elton Chigumbura struck twice in his first over. A late charge by Taurai Muzarabani, who recorded his maiden first-class fifty in the drawn Logan Cup match, hit 29 from 21 balls to take the Rhinos beyond the 250-mark.Offspinner Greg Lamb and fast bowler Trevor Garwe took three wickets apiece while Chigumbura finished with the two wickets, giving away 11 in his five overs, one of which was a maiden.The visitors did not get off to a good start either during their chase with Sam Mwakayeni and Cephas Zhuwawo falling cheaply. Prince Masvaure, who came in at No. 3, top scored with 60 while Chigumbura chipped in with 46. Barney Rogers, who has opted to play only limited-overs cricket for the Eagles, contributed 41.

This weekend sees Liverpool continue their push for the Premier League title with a tough clash against West Ham United at the London Stadium on Sunday evening, with the Hammers just two points behing Jurgen Klopp’s side in the table.

Looking ahead to the match in east London, it seems as though the Reds have been handed yet another injury issue which Klopp will need to work around when considering his starting XI against the Irons.

What’s the news?

Speaking ahead of the match against David Moyes’ side, Klopp revealed that Curtis Jones suffered an eye injury in training which kept him out of the club’s midweek Champions League win over Atletico Madrid and will also rule him out of Sunday’s clash. That will surely have a lot of Liverpool fans fuming given the likely accidental nature of the injury on this occasion, on top of the fact that he struggled with a muscle injury he picked up on international duty in October.

So far this season, Jones has made nine appearances for the Reds across all competitions, scoring one goal and providing three assists in the process and proving himself to be useful midfield option for Klopp, especially in an attacking sense.

Additionally, the 20-year-old has averaged 1.2 shots at goal per game in the Premier League so far this season, as well as an impressive passing accuracy percentage of 94%.

This shows why he will be a big miss for the Reds on Sunday, especially considering that West Ham have conceded fewer goals (11) than the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton prior to today’s fixtures, so Jones’ prowess in the final third of the pitch could have been vital for Liverpool on Sunday.

His absence will also be a big miss for the Reds considering that they have the likes of Naby Keita and James Milner also ruled out with hamstring injuries, leaving Klopp with few midfield options at his disposal when selecting his starting XI.

Those other absences could’ve presented Jones with the perfect opportunity to firmly cement a starting berth in Liverpool’s midfield. Instead, he can only watch on tomorrow evening, which will surely come as a real frustration for him and for Reds fans.

In other news: Forget Salah: FSG must strike a deal with LFC’s “important” machine, Klopp loves him

Marcus Trescothick has had to fly home from Somerset’s Champions League campaign in India after a recurrence of his stress-related illness

Cricinfo staff15-Oct-2009Marcus Trescothick has had to fly home from Somerset’s Champions League campaign in India after a recurrence of his stress-related illness. He will play no further part in the event, even though Somerset have qualified for the second round of the campaign.His latest setback occurred on the morning after Somerset’s defeat to Trinidad & Tobago, a result that left their progression from the group stages hanging on the result of Trinidad’s subsequent encounter with Deccan Chargers. He approached Somerset’s director of cricket, Brian Rose, with his misgivings, and given his previous history of depression, the decision was immediately taken to fly him home.”Marcus has made a great effort to travel to India,” Rose said in a statement on the club website. “Regrettably it has not worked out for him and he has travelled back to England to rejoin his family. The club and all his team mates have fully appreciated this effort and personal commitment and look forward to further success on his behalf.”Somerset coach Mark Robinson appreciated Trescothick for his honesty and added that the batsman took a very quick decision to return.”He came up to me after the second game and did confide that he wasn’t giving 100%,” he told the . “He didn’t feel mentally right to carry on and it would affect our performance. He said, ‘look, I’m only firing at 60 to 70%’. I think that was a very honest appraisal and as a cricket director, a captain or a coach you have to sit down and discuss what you want to do, and you come to the obvious conclusion that the best thing is for him to go home.”Up until that point, Trescothick’s first overseas campaign for three years had been a qualified success. Though he managed only 17 runs in two innings, he nevertheless played his part in the thrilling one-wicket win over the IPL champions, Deccan Chargers, and appeared happy and settled in the squad. His wife Hayley accompanied him on the trip, after plans for him to commute in and out of India from a base in Dubai had fallen through for logistical reasons.All the same, Robinson said the club had prepared themselves for the possibility of a pull-out in case the symptoms recurred. “Actually I accompanied Marcus and Hayley on the plane coming out to India and he was absolutely fine. We came out four days after the team arrived and we had a good time and a very good chat. I think with a past history you always get the feeling that yes, it might happen.”Trescothick has been named as Justin Langer’s successor as Somerset campaign next season, and was named as the PCA Player of the Year for 2009 after racking up 1817 first-class runs at 75 for the season, to help Somerset to a third-place finish in the First Division.In total he scored eight hundreds during the Championship season and produced the best innings of Twenty20 Finals day, a 27-ball half-century in Somerset’s semi-final victory over Kent at Edgbaston – the match that guaranteed their participation in this competition.His illness first occurred during England’s tour of India in February 2006, then reoccurred at the start of the Ashes campaign in Australia in November. In early 2008 he pulled out of a pre-season tour to Dubai after breaking down at Heathrow Airport, after which he formally announced his retirement from international cricket in March 2008.Prior to the Champions League, Trescothick had spoken of his pride at taking part in an unprecedented venture alongside his Somerset team-mates, but nevertheless warned of the dangers. “I know the risk and I know what happens when it goes wrong,” he told BBC World Service. “I can only try. It’s a big competition for the players and for the club. I have got to try and make it happen.”As recently as August, Trescothick was being mentioned in dispatches as a possible replacement for Ravi Bopara in the Ashes decider at The Oval, but this latest set-back will surely bring an end to all speculation about the end of his international retirement. There seems little prospect, either, of Trescothick returning to India at a later stage of the competition, should Somerset progress to the knock-out stages.”Of course we’ll miss him, he’s a great player,” Rose told the BBC. “But I don’t think his future with Somerset will be affected in any way, shape or form. He’ll be a great player for us in years to come, but perhaps we now know it’ll be a black-and-white situation when it comes to playing abroad.”

The Athletic journalist Phil Hay has praised match-winner Rodrigo’s improved performance in Leeds United’s vital 2-1 win away to Norwich City.

The Lowdown: Massive win for Leeds

The Whites faced a huge game at the bottom end of the Premier League on Sunday, but they prevailed to secure a much-needed three points.

It wasn’t a classic at Carrow Road, but goals from Raphinha and Rodrigo helped Marcelo Bielsa’s side to climb out of the relegation zone.

After the late draw at home to Wolves and now a crucial away win, the hope is that Leeds may slowly be turning a corner after a poor start to the season.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Hay praises Rodrigo

It was Rodrigo who fired home the winner on Sunday, finding the net from distance as he bagged his second league goal of the campaign. His ball distribution was also on point, completing 24 of his 28 passes, while he also won five duels and had three shots in total (SofaScore).

Taking to Twitter after the game, Hay spoke positively about the Spaniard with the seven-word verdict of: “Rodrigo got better as that went on.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-22/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Still need more from Rodrigo

It was a key contribution from Rodrigo, who now has two goals in as many league outings, but there is still a feeling that more is required from him, having been described as a ‘huge’ player by Hay in the past.

The 30-year-old is the club’s record signing but is yet to perform like it overall, with two goals in 12 appearances still a disappointing return so far this season.

With Patrick Bamford out injured, it is vital that Rodrigo continues to steps up to the plate in the coming weeks, justifying his price tag in the process. More performances like yesterday’s should help.

In other news, three Leeds players struggled despite the eventual win over Norwich. Find out who they are here.

Flocking to Twitter, many Sunderland fans voiced their criticism for Lynden Gooch following his display in their penalty shoot out loss to Bradford City on Tuesday night.

The Black Cats did just enough to reach the knockout rounds of the EFL trophy, topping Group F, after drawing 1-1 in normal time to Bradford – but the game went to penalties anyway to decide an overall victor.

Lee Johnson’s side have secured a home tie for the next round by topping their group, with Nathan Broadhead’s strike earning the solitary point needed after Bradford’s Theo Robinson opened the scoring.

Even though they got the job done, Sunderland have also extended their winless run of games to six on the trot with their last victory coming away to Crewe Alexandra in mid-October.

Both Alex Pritchard and Gooch saw their penalties saved by the travelling side after normal time as Bradford clinched the shoot-out win – with many supporters taking aim at the latter man in particular.

While squandering his penalty in the shoot-out, Gooch was also ranked among Sunderland’s lowest performers on the night according to SofaScore – coming in as the joint-fifth worst starter with a 6.9 rating.

His overall evening also proved a sloppy one with the 25-year-old completing just 2/7 crosses, 4/11 long balls and losing possession a seismic 32 times – as well as getting booked (SofaScore).

Taking these numbers into account, and the fact Gooch saw his spot-kick saved, it’s little wonder supporters weren’t impressed.

Find all of their verdicts from Twitter down below.

Sunderland fans slam Gooch…

“And, surprise, surprise, he got himself booked. Again. I can’t remember the last game he played when he wasn’t booked. His quality of play is awful and his decision-making is worse. Johnson’s blue-eyed boy though. Unlike Embleton.”

Credit: @Boshanko

“No qualms with him missing a pen, especially in the most pointless shootout ever, but his performance even out of position was shocking, simple things. His attitude to storm off the pitch while everyone else remained to clap, disgusting.

Credit: @davis0688

“Truly is a frustrating footballer. The way he’s regressed in recent years is mind blowing. Went from being arguably one of the best in the league to one of the most unreliable in the squad.”

Credit: @SpeakSAFC

“Should never pull the shirt on ever again. Absolute waste of space”

Credit: @1879SAFC

“The WORST player on the pitch…”

Credit: @Casual7Observer

“How gooch gets a game is beyond me”

Credit: @fonz1971

“How’s he still here”

Credit: @RobsonEll

Brian Lara has given his support to the captain Chris Gayle and called for an end to the debate over who should lead West Indies

Cricinfo staff11-Nov-2009Brian Lara has given his support to the captain Chris Gayle and called for an end to the debate over who should lead West Indies. Gayle was in charge before the players’ strike and was reappointed for the tour of Australia, which begins with a game against Queensland on Wednesday.While Viv Richards said Gayle would have to show a different attitude Down Under, Lara, another former captain, believes Gayle is the right man for the job. “Obviously we have to gather our support and put it behind Chris,” Lara told CMC Sports. “There is no reason to debate or go on about it.”He’s the one heading to Australia, we’re going to be playing against one of the best teams in the world, obviously losing the Ashes they are going to come looking for revenge on anyone, and we don’t need to be mulling over the fact of who should be captain or who shouldn’t be captain. Chris Gayle is going to get my support and I hope he’s going to get everyone’s support.”Lara said Gayle, who has led the side in 14 Tests, has achieved some good things while in charge, including winning a Test in South Africa. However, Gayle has been criticised in the Caribbean for his view towards Test cricket, which began when he said it wouldn’t be so sad if the format died.”Obviously there are some statements that he made or maybe what he’s done over the last year or so but I wouldn’t get into that part of it,” Lara said. “I still believe when a decision is made [you support that decision].”

New Zealand claimed control of a rain and bad light-hit opening day in Wellington, reducing Pakistan to 161 for 6 by stumps

The Bulletin by Osman Samiuddin03-Dec-2009Stumps
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outDaniel Vettori’s three wickets helped put Pakistan on the back foot•Getty ImagesThe weather took time to clear up and New Zealand took time to wake up, but by the end of a shortened, disrupted first day at what was the Basin Reserve’s 50th Test, both had taken firm hold of this match.Incessant rains over the last few days had forced both sides to practice indoors in the run-in and a wet outfield delayed the start until lunch. Overcast conditions, a pitch only just uncovered and some bounce quickly lulled Daniel Vettori into sending Pakistan in after winning the toss. And after an unusual first bout of Pakistan control, New Zealand struck back to leave Pakistan at 161 for 6, bad light stopping play early.Pakistan made two changes to their batting order after the limpness of their first Test display, bringing in Salman Butt and Misbah-ul-Haq to solidify their spine. But the inherent timidity in their senior players – and the ineptitude of some – surfaced again, as they lost the opportunity of a rare opening platform. A familiar story of uncertain prods outside off, awkward encounters with short balls, airy swishes and brain-dead shots unfolded thereafter, 60 for none dwindling to an inadequate first day total.On balance New Zealand deserved their reward, if only because they came back so well after Butt and Imran Farhat had made Vettori’s decision to bowl first look misguided early. Whether Vettori himself would have expected to end up with three wickets on a pitch offering as much turn as an ice-rink might to an early 90s Anil Kumble is open to question, but the spark for the revival was provided by the pacemen.Things had looked difficult more than halfway into the afternoon session. First up, everyone seemed to agree that there would be mischief in the air and pitch. There wasn’t. Chris Martin and Daryl Tuffey – looking every inch a man returning to Tests after nearly five years – had been tight, nothing more. Nothing moved off the pitch and the bounce was true and good. Not that it made much of a difference to the openers, as roused as two turtles on Valium.Carefully, reluctantly, they battled through, the odd boundary signaling growing comfort, but they never broke away decisively. A nervy equilibrium had been reached by the time they put on a second fifty stand in six Tests as a combination; they have a century partnership as well, which in Pakistan’s context makes them Haynes-Greenidge-esque. It had taken time – the first hour produced 32 runs and the 50 came up just before the second drinks break in the 24th over – but the situation was quite dory, if not entirely hunky.It was only after that break, however, that New Zealand finally got with it. Martin, Tuffey and right-arm blogger Iain O’Brien may not match Shane Bond for impact, but they are persevering, under-rated men. Having bowled either the wrong line or length initially, they returned to more basic plans. Tuffey went short, and O’Brien reaped the benefit, Butt pulling loosely straight up to the skies. Fear – and Vettori – now took hold, as the captain lodged himself at one end, and let the pacemen relish the right lengths at the other.In one over came two realisations; Farhat remembered first that he is not perhaps, after all, an international batsman of any quality, lazily cutting to slip. And then, that Vettori’s arm ball is deadly, as he trapped Mohammad Yousuf. As is the way, the ball suddenly began to swing and cut a little, though perhaps that was because both O’Brien and Tuffey hit proper lengths.In a move that confirmed many sad things about Pakistan, bluntest among them that none of their senior batsmen had the guts to front up at that spot, Umar Akmal was thrown in at one-down. Reports from New Zealand yesterday suggested that all senior batsmen had refused to move there, so Umar, presumably, was offered for sacrifice. He was a changed man and O’Brien was just about to have him for brunch, leaving him rooted with movement and surprising him too often with bounce, before tea rudely intervened.Umar sped along after tea, like some crazy, brave firefly glowing madly but always in danger of going out. Just when he seemed to be settling, however, Tuffey undid him with a peach that hit off. As the bowlers continued to probe, fear was replaced by stupidity, as two men supposedly more experienced holed out to shots that should condemn at least one of them. Faisal Iqbal will wonder which God he ever upset if Pakistan continues to think Shoaib Malik worthy of more Test opportunities than him; Malik’s slap to mid-off should, ideally, put an end to that farce.Just before bad light intervened, there was enough time for Misbah to prove again that all the world’s MBAs and domestic experience cannot iron out his tendency to getting out at the worst possible time, in the worst possible way. Vettori would have been smiling anyway at the way the day turned, but Misbah’s ugly sweep would have left him laughing.

Following on from their disappointing 3-2 defeat against West Ham United before the international break, Liverpool have another tough test on their hands this evening when Arsenal arrive at Anfield for their latest Premier League clash.

On the chalkboard

In terms of who Jurgen Klopp could select in his starting XI to take on Mikel Arteta’s side, one player who featured in the defeat against the Irons but should not be in the team on this occasion is Joel Matip.

Since joining the Merseyside club on a free transfer from Schalke 04 back in 2016, the 30-year-old – who is currently valued at £16.2m by Transfermarkt – has made a total of 136 appearances for the Reds across all competitions, chipping in with six goals and three assists along the way.

After being an unused substitute in Liverpool’s two previous league games prior to the defeat at West Ham, Matip failed to repay the faith shown in him by Klopp after not only conceding three goals but also failing to make one tackle and block a single shot on the day. He was also dribbled past on one occasion and lost possession of the ball 11 times, ultimately earning himself a disappointing overall match rating of 6.4/10, making him Liverpool’s lowest-rated defender in east London according to SofaScore.

With this in mind, perhaps it could be the best option if Klopp were to take Matip, who the German has labelled “unbelievable” in the past, out of the team on this occasion and save him for their Champions League match in midweek against Porto.

In terms of who Klopp could utilise instead of the Cameroonian on this occasion, perhaps this could be a good opportunity for Ibrahima Konate to show what he’s capable of and stake his claim in the side after keeping clean sheets in his first two league games of the season against Crystal Palace and Manchester United.

Whether or not Klopp chooses to go with Matip this evening, the Reds boss will undoubtedly be hoping that his side will be able to pick up all three points against Arsenal, who have won their three previous league games and would leapfrog Liverpool if they leave Anfield with victory.

In other news – Big blow: Liverpool handed another potential injury setback, fans will be worried

An update has emerged on Newcastle United’s interest in Fiorentina centre-forward Dusan Vlahovic…

What’s the talk?

According to The Sun, the Magpies will accelerate their interest in the Serbian international in January as they look to improve their squad.

The report claims Fiorentina could be open to cashing in on him for the right price in the winter window, which is said to be below £70m.

Shearer 2.0

Howe could get St. James’ rocking with a swoop for Vlahovic as he has proven himself to be a reliable goalscorer at the top level and thus, he could be the club’s new Alan Shearer if he is able to replicate his Fiorentina form on Tyneside.

Shearer ended his playing days with 206 goals in 405 appearances for the Magpies, which averaged out at a goal every 1.96 matches for the club. Vlahovic, meanwhile, has scored 31 goals in his last 50 Serie A appearances for Fiorentina, which averages out at a goal every 1.61 games.

This means that he is currently scoring at a higher rate than Shearer ever did at Newcastle, albeit the available data is significantly lower for Vlahovic at this point in time. Irrespective of it only being 50 matches, it is an exceptional record that shows he has the potential to be a prolific scorer for Howe’s side, much like the English legend was for the club in his time as a player.

Serie A expert Connor Clancy hailed the offensive beast earlier this year. He told This is Futbol: “[He’s] Incredible, and it really caught me by surprise because I’d seen him play in the flesh a few times and he scored a great goal against Inter and there was a lot of hype in Florence about him. People were saying this guy’s the real deal and I just couldn’t see it.

“He’s just a complete number nine and I know it’s just off the back of one season, but he’s strong, can link play up, can hold the ball up and most importantly, he’s scoring goals. He’s one of those players that when he looks confident, you almost expect him to score every time he plays.”

These comments suggest that he has the overall qualities to lead the line as well as score goals. He could hold the ball up and bring others into play, whilst then getting on to the end of crosses at the end of the moves to provide the finishing touches to send the St. James’ Park faithful into raptures.

AND in other news, Howe could land dream NUFC signing in £91k-p/w dynamo who “dominates the game”…

A round-up of the second day’s games at the Under-19 World Cup

Cricinfo staff16-Jan-2010England had few hassles overhauling Hong Kong’s 185 on the second day of the Under-19 World Cup at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval. A dominant top-order display, led by Joe Root and James Vince, helped England chase their target in 30.1 overs. Root took the attack back to Hong Kong’s bowlers during the first Powerplay, adding 57 for the first wicket and an unbeaten 129 with the Man of the Match Vince thereafter. The pair nudged, flicked and cut singles regularly to whittle away at the scoreboard. Vince finished on 76 from 61 deliveries after hitting ten fours and a six.Hong Kong had been carried to 185 in 48.5 overs thanks to Niazkat Khan’s 69-ball 65 and middle-order roles from Irfan Ahmed and Mark Chapman. But the tone for their ultimately inefficient total was set at the top, when they lost their first three wickets – all bowled – to full, swinging deliveries. David Payne was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 24 in his nine overs.Hosts New Zealand cruised to a victory in their first match, defeating Canada by nine wickets in Lincoln. Chasing Canada’s meagre total of 128 all out in 29.3 overs, New Zealand reached the target in just the 20th over for the loss of one wicket. James Neesham top scored with 47 from just 20 balls and added an unbeaten 55 with the opener Harry Boam who made 29 from 54 balls. Boam and Tom Latham, the son of former international batsman Rod, had put on 75 for the opening wicket.Canada’s effort with the bat, after they were put in, was forgettable with the No.8 Arsalan Qadir proving the most successful with 26 from 30 balls.They lost Hiral Patel earlier and then Doug Bracewell, son of former international Brendon, began with a double strike bowling his right-arm medium pace. Bracewell’s figures of 3 for 31 from seven overs earned him the Man-of-the-Match award. Logan van Beek, the grandson of former West Indies and New Zealand Test wicketkeeper Sam Guillen, chipped in with three wickets as well.Australia flexed their muscles over USA in Queenstown, securing a 108-run win after posting 262. USA had done well to dismiss Australia inside 50 overs, but a dramatic collapse to 28 for 7 left their chances of an upset win done and dusted. Leading the rout with a new-ball performance that would have made his father Craig proud, Alister McDermott slashed USA’s top order open. After having Steven Taylor lbw in the fourth over, McDermott sent back Ryan Corns and Henry Wardley in the space of three deliveries in his next over. Fellow new-ball operator Josh Hazlewood’s first-class experience with New South Wales came to the fore as he chipped in with three wickets, adding to USA’s woes.Hazlewood took two in two balls, missed the hat-trick, but snared his third wicket only a few balls later, with McDermott picking up his fourth. From a disastrous 28 for 7 in ten overs, they were boosted by Andy Mohammed’s 70 from 90 balls and 30 from the No. 9 Asad Ghous. Adam Zampa picked up three wickets with his legbreak googlies.Australia’s innings had earlier been carried by a series of useful contributions. The openers Nic Maddinson (32) and Tom Beaton (73) put on 82 in 12.3 overs, after which Jason Floros (33) and Tim Armstrong (39) propped up the middle order. The wickets were shared by five of seven bowlers used.Australia’s captain Mitch Marsh said after the win: “Wins are habits so we’re going to go into next game with some good confidence. I think we’ve still got a bit of work to do if we want to beat the better sides but to start with a good win today was great.”Bangladesh picked up a Duckworth-Lewis win by five wickets and with 112 deliveries remaining over Papua New Guinea in Palmerston North. The new-ball bowler Abul Hasan picked up four wickets, three of which dented PNG’s top and middle order after they chose to bat, while the spinners kept run in check. PNG were bowled out for 191 in 46 overs. Set a D/L target of 189 in 46 overs, Bangladesh suffered a top-order wobble but the lower middle order polished off the chase. The main contributor was Shabbir Rahman, who hit an unbeaten 51 from 45 balls. His innings was sandwiched between key knocks from Mahmudul Hasan (38) and Nural Hasan (24 not out from 17 balls).