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It was a day of notable role reversal for Kent old-boys David Masters and Matthew Walker, who marked their return to the St Lawrence ground with performances that nigh-on broke Kentish hearts

Mark Pennell31-Jul-2010
Scorecard
It was a day of notable role reversal for Kent old-boys David Masters and Matthew Walker, who marked their return to the St Lawrence ground with performances that nigh-on broke Kentish hearts. Having controlled the game for much of the opening two days, Kent lost their grip on Saturday and left Essex as the most likely winners of this first division tussle to avoid the drop.It was seam bowler Masters who first hogged centre stage by batting Essex eight runs beyond the follow-on figure of 271. Playing straight and with no little style, Masters plundered eight fours in his 84- ball cameo of 42 to frustrate Kent for most of the opening session.He finally went leg-before to the wiles of wrist spinner Malinga Bandara, who finished with 3 for 44, leaving last-wicket partners Maurice Chambers and Andy Carter to help Essex to avoid the ignominy of batting again.Kent’s second innings was halted soon after lunch by a half-hour break for rain, after which the hosts proceeded to lose their way in the game by losing seven mid-session wickets for 68 runs.Carter, in only his second start since joining on loan from Nottinghamshire removed both home openers, Joe Denly and Rob Key, to catches at the wicket by James Foster, and then Masters sent Sam Northeast packing in similar fashion.Carter returned at the Nackington Road End to graze the outside edge of Geraint Jones’s bat for another catch for Foster and with his next ball he trapped Darren Stevens leg-before as the right-hander aimed to force a straight one through midwicket.At 36 for 5 things appeared bleak for Kent’s faithful, yet they became a whole lot worse following the introduction of Matthew Walker, a left-handed batsman and former crowd favourite here in Canterbury.As a bowler Walker might merit the description of: ‘occasional and ‘military-medium’ at best’, yet he transpired to turn the game the way of his new county with a career-best spell of 3 for 35. In only his seventh first-class over since joining from Kent two years ago, Walker nipped one back in to South African run-machine Martin van Jaarsveld to trap the right-hander lbw.After tea Walker continued his golden-armed stint by pegging back Malinga Bandara’s off stump and then having Kent top-scorer James Tredwell (40) caught at mid-off. Carter came back to dismiss last man Amjad Khan to finish with 5 for 40 and, with 14 overs of the day remaining, Essex went out to bat again needing 277 for a dramatic win.Kent hit back by removing their first inning’s top-scorer Mark Pettini (4) to a good slip catch by Tredwell off Azhar Mahmood, but Jaik Mickleburgh and Tom Westley made it through to stumps at 48 for 1 to leave Essex favourites going into the final day.

After just over six months in charge, Rafael Benitez’s reign in charge of Everton came to an end shortly after their disappointing 2-1 defeat against Norwich City last weekend.

In the meantime, while the club looks for a new permanent manager, Duncan Ferguson has been given the role of caretaker boss to try and get Everton’s season back on track in the same way that he did when the club got rid of Marco Silva in December 2019 before Carlo Ancelotti came in.

One name who has been mentioned with the Everton job and who could be a good fit for the Toffees is former Derby County and Chelsea manager Frank Lampard.

In his first senior managerial job, he took charge of 57 games with the Rams, with 26 wins, 15 draws and 16 defeats along the way, taking them to the Championship play-off final in May 2019 at Wembley against Aston Villa.

In his second managerial role, the 43-year-old won 44 of his 84 games in charge at the club where he spent the majority of his playing career.

Labelled a “winner” by Noel Whelan, Lampard finished in the top four with Chelsea in his one full season in charge at Stamford Bridge despite having to deal with a transfer embargo, which could make him a suitable and potentially successful option for Everton given their Financial Fair Play issues of late.

In terms of a potential move to Everton, while he hasn’t lifted any trophies as a manager, Lampard still has sufficient experience to put him in the running to get back into the Premier League and continue his managerial career with the Toffees.

Given his massive knowledge of the league and his legendary status as a player, he could be a big hit at Goodison Park and bring some positive vibes back around the place after the constant fan protests against Benitez during the 61-year-old’s tenure, especially with 65% of voters from a recent Football FanCast poll suggesting that Lampard would be a good appointment for Everton.

Also, with the 43-year-old not currently in work, it could be a swift appointment for Farhad Moshiri to make so that the club can put this transitional period behind them and focus on ending the season on a high with renewed optimism for the future.

In other news: Everton must avoid another managerial disaster with “arrogant” 58 y/o, he’d be Rafa 2.0

According to a report by L’Arena, as cited by Calcio Hellas, there has been an update out of Italy as Tottenham Hotspur eye a late bid for yet another target in Czech Republic international Antonin Barak.

The Lowdown: Panic stations…

Over these last few days, Lilywhites transfer chief Fabio Paratici and manager Antonio Conte have seen targets slip through the club’s fingers as Tottenham’s deals become hijacked.

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They were closing in on moves for winger Adama Traore and forward Luis Diaz but both Barcelona and Liverpool respectively scuppered Spurs’ January plans to sign the duo.

Now, with the window closing on Monday, Tottenham face a race against a time to back Conte with major signings in the winter market and kickstart the N17 rebuild.

As such, new names are coming out of the woodwork, with Spurs now apparently plotting a move for Hellas Verona star Barak.

The Latest: Paratici gets to work…

As per L’Arena (via CH), there has been a ‘first phone call’ in recent days between Paratici and the Serie A side’s sporting director Tony D’Amico over a transfer for the 27-year-old.

It is believed that Spurs are ‘ready’ to table a €20 million (£16.6m) bid, plus defender Ryan Sessegnon on loan, to sign Barak ‘immediately’ and before the Monday deadline.

Verona president Maurizio Setti is apparently open to taking this offer, as it would be ‘very well received’ him personally, but D’Amico ‘appears much less convinced’.

The Verdict: What Spurs need?

The 6 foot 3 attacker has been in fine form for Verona this season, supplying eight goals and six assists over 19 league appearances from midfield whilst becoming a key player under manager Igor Tudor.

He’s also averaged a threatening 2.3 shots at goal per 90 with only Son Heung-min and Harry Kane making more attempts in comparison to Conte’s current squad at Spurs (WhoScored).

An experienced international with 28 caps and appearances at Euro 2020 last summer, for £16.6m plus Sessegnon on a temporary transfer, Spurs could seemingly do far worse in terms of finally landing a playmaker.

It will be interesting to see whether D’Amico and Setti can come to an agreement over whether or not to entertain Paratici’s advances.

In other news: Tottenham now also preparing last minute marquee bid to sign ‘special’ forward for Conte, find out more here.

Gavin Hamilton, the veteran Scotland batsman and former captain of the national side, has announced his retirement

Cricinfo staff19-Aug-2010Gavin Hamilton, the veteran Scotland batsman and former captain of the national side, has announced his retirement. He will make his final appearances in Scotland colours in the two Clydesdale Bank 40 matches against Hampshire and Leicestershire in Aberdeen this weekend.”It is really a build-up of circumstances and part of it is that I don’t want to go down the slippery slope of being a liability to the team,” Hamilton told . “Due to work commitments, I simply don’t have the time to train and practise and there is only so long you can get away with that. I always promised myself I would stop playing when I still felt I was doing a decent job and personal pride is really the bottom line.”Born in Broxburn, Hamilton, 35, made his senior Scotland debut against Essex at Lochside Park, Forfar, in 1993 at the age of 19, after a successful time in the national Under-16 and Under-19 squads. Six years later, he was Scotland’s player of the World Cup in England, scoring half-centuries against a Pakistan attack that included Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar and Saqlain Mushtaq, and Bangladesh on his way to a tournament tally of 217 runs – 24 more than England’s leading run-scorer.His performances caught the eye of the England selectors and he was included on England’s tour of South Africa the following winter, but he scored a pair and failed to take a wicket in what will remain his only Test, at Johannesburg, and was ruthlessly dumped. After a mandatory four-year wait, he was again picked for Scotland in the squad for the 2004 ECC European Championship and helped them qualify for the 2007 World Cup in West Indies.Hamilton took over the captaincy from Ryan Watson in 2009, holding the position for a year before relinquishing it to Gordon Drummond earlier this summer. As well as stints with Yorkshire and Durham, in 130 matches for Scotland to date, he has amassed more than 3,500 runs at an average of 31.25, including five centuries and 21 half-centuries.”Gav has been a tremendous servant to Scottish cricket, and we will miss him greatly,” said Roddy Smith, Cricket Scotland’s chief executive. “He has been, arguably, one of the best-ever Scottish cricketers and everyone was very proud when he played Test cricket for England.”Gavin has been the backbone of our batting in recent years, and also steeped into the captaincy last year, and has been instrumental in assisting the team through a transitional period. To play for your country for 17 years is an amazing achievement.”He has been a remarkable player, who represented his country in four World Cup events and umpteen pressurised situations. Never once has his enthusiasm flagged, and he has been a fantastic ambassador for Scottish cricket. Let’s hope he goes out with a bang this weekend.”Scotland’s selectors also announced the 13-man squad that will feature Hamilton’s name for the last time for their CB40 fixtures.Scotland squad: Gordon Drummond (capt), George Bailey, Richie Berrington, Ryan Flannigan, Gordon Goudie, Gavin Hamilton, Majid Haq, Moneeb Iqbal, Dougie Lockhart, Ross Lyons, Preston Mommsen, Matthew Parker, Fraser Watts.

A journalist has revealed that Newcastle United ‘asked’ about the possibility of signing Atletico Madrid defender Felipe just hours before the January transfer window shut.

The Lowdown: Great window

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium managed to bring in a total of five fresh faces in the end, with Matt Targett and Dan Burn following Kieran Trippier, Chris Wood and Bruno Guimaraes through the door on Transfer Deadline Day.

Only time will tell whether their business will be enough to keep them up, but they have certainly given themselves a fighting chance.

The Latest: Felipe ‘asked’ about

As per journalist Antonio Ruiz (via The COPE Supporter), the St. James’ Park faithful ‘asked’ about the potential to sign Felipe only a few hours before the window closed:

“@NUFC has asked about Felipe, if he comes out, the @Atleti would try Lenglet.”

The Verdict: No harm

As the Toon managed to bring in a central defender in Burn anyway, there is not too much worry that they missed out on Felipe.

Yes, he has recently won the La Liga title with Atletico Madrid, and has a lot of experience at playing at the highest level in the UEFA Champions League, but he is 32 years of age now, and so does not have much time left at the top of his game.

Interestingly, he has the same agent as both Guimaraes and another strongly reported Magpies target in Diego Carlos, and so could be one to watch for the summer, perhaps on a short-term deal given his age.

Nonetheless, with Burn signed, at least the Toon have strengthened their centre-back options going into the second half of the season.

In other news, find out which two NUFC players rejected moves away here!

Ricky Ponting should seek inspiration from Sachin Tendulkar’s batting renaissance, according to the former captain of Australia, Mark Taylor

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Sep-2010Ricky Ponting should seek inspiration from Sachin Tendulkar’s batting renaissance, according to the former captain of Australia, Mark Taylor. Tendulkar and Ponting are the two leading run scorers in Test history and they will be key men in the upcoming two-Test series in India.But whereas Tendulkar, 37, has shone over the past year with six Test hundreds and an average of 81.84, it hasn’t been as easy for Ponting, 35, who has scored one century and averaged 40.05. Taylor, who endured a memorable lean period during his final years of Test cricket, said life would not get any easier for Ponting.”He is not getting any better,” Taylor told . “He may no longer be the batsman he was in his late 20s but he is still a very good batsman. Honestly, Ponting’s best is behind him but he is still capable of scoring big hundreds.”Ponting’s form is not unlike that of Tendulkar during 2006 and 2007; during those years Tendulkar averaged 41.72 with two centuries in 17 Tests. Taylor said he was impressed by Tendulkar’s return to form, which has also included the first double-century in one-day internationals.”I think Sachin has had a rebirth,” Taylor said. “He is really batting at his best and that can be a sort of inspiration for Ponting. It might be difficult for him to overhaul Sachin’s number of centuries because the Indian master is lengthening the gap between them.”But Ponting has this job of rebuilding the Australian side. The current Australian side is very much his. Seniors like Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Matthew Hayden have all gone. It is a much younger side.”I think Ponting’s focus has moved a little bit away from his personal milestones. In that sense, Sachin is fortunate. He does not have to worry about captaincy. That is probably the reason why he is making hundreds.”Ponting did not make the best start to his tour of India – he scored 42 and 9 in the warm-up match against the Board President’s XI. He will be leading a side that was held to a 1-1 series draw against Pakistan this year and Taylor believes improved consistency is the key for Ponting’s group.”Ponting’s is a young Australian side which plays very good cricket but is not consistent,” he said. “I’m sure Ponting would be working on this area to reduce the number of bad sessions. They tend to lose five or six wickets in a session when they could do well by losing just two or three.”

A round-up of matches on the second day of the WICB regional one-day tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Oct-2010A young Sagicor High Performance Centre (HPC) side gave Guyana a scare in a match that went down to the last ball before the more experienced team prevailed by three runs in Kensington Park in Kingston.HPC got off to a solid start in their chase of Guyana’s 225 with a patient century partnership between Rajindra Chandrika and Kieran Powell. 20-year old Powell – who played two ODIs for West Indies last year – top scored with 72 while Chandrika made 51. At 173 for 3, HPC were on their way to a huge upset. However, the Guyana spinners triggered a collapse as five wickets fell for 34 runs. Needing 10 off the last over bowled by offspinner Steven Jacobs, HPC managed only six to fall tantalisingly short.Guyana’s total was built around a 101-run partnership between Ramnaresh Sarwan, who slammed four sixes in his 63 off 79, and Richard Ramdeen, who made 46 off 58. However, legspinner Keron Cottoy ran through the middle order, claiming the wickets of Sarwan, Ramdeen, Narsingh Deonarine and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, as Guyana slumped to 156 for 6. Wicketkeeper Anthony Bramble and Jacobs then stuck around long enough to ensure Guyana would have a reasonable total to defend.At Sabina Park, half-centuries from Kirk Edwards and Ryan Hinds took Barbados to a four-wicket victory against Leeward Islands. Leeward captain Wilden Cornwall’s hurricane 85 was in vain as Barbados chased down the target of 240 with 20 balls to spare.Leeward had struggled to 91 for 4 by the 30th over in the face of tight bowling by Barbados, especially the left-arm spin of Hinds and Sulieman Benn, who took 5 for 55 between them. Opener Montcin Hodge had taken 96 balls for his 39, and had been put out of his misery by the offspin of debutant Marlon Graham.In walked Cornwall and went on to plunder six sixes and eight fours in his 85 that came off 59 deliveries. He took a liking to Graham, slamming him for 30 in an over that included four consecutive sixes. Cornwall was supported by allrounder Omari Banks as the duo added 127 off 95. However, both fell within four deliveries of each other, and the remaining batsmen could manage only 19 from the last 4.3 overs.Despite captain Hinds’ half-century, Barbados had slumped to 182 for 6 at one stage, offspinner Justin Athanaze taking 3 for 44. However, Edwards – who has played for West Indies A – anchored the chase, remaining unbeaten on a patient 68 off 95. Dwayne Smith and Carlo Morris played late cameos to help their side home in the 47th over.The next two matches scheduled to be played at Chedwin Park, Leeward against HPC and Jamaica against Combined Campuses & Colleges, have been shifted to Kensington Park due to unfavourable ground conditions on account of recent heavy rain at Chedwin Park.

According to Football League World ‘sources’ out of Tottenham Hotspur, a promising transfer update has now come out of N17 involving West Bromwich Albion keeper Sam Johnstone.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye new goalkeeping addition?

Lilywhites manager Antonio Conte has transformed the club on-field since his appointment, propelling Tottenham into top-four contention and reigniting faith in supporters.

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Winning six out of their last seven Premier League matches, the disastrous tenure of ex-boss Nuno Espirito Santo seems like a distant memory, with sights now firmly set on how Spurs could improve further in the summer market.

Loanee and Atalanta goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini looks set return to his parent club with Tottenham now having to take to the transfer window in search of a Hugo Lloris understudy.

The Latest: Tottenham confident of sealing Johnstone deal…

According to FLW, ‘sources’ have explained that Spurs are confident of sealing a move for out-of-contract ace Johnstone.

Indeed, according to the report, Tottenham are convinced the 29-year-old will choose to join them this summer as they believe they’ve entered pole position.

The Verdict: Promising update…

As explained previously by pundit and former Premier League shot stopper Paddy Kenny, Johnstone would be a ‘top signing’ for Spurs and a ‘big loss’ for West Brom (Football Insider).

He’s already earned himself caps for England with Sam Allardyce having waxed lyrical over his performances in the top flight last campaign.

Bypassing any fee and snapping him up on a Bosman would kill so many birds with one stone – the biggest ones being their homegrown quota and lack of depth behind Lloris.

Indeed, this move really does seem like a no-brainer.

In other news: Tottenham officials sent to club as Paratici eyes ‘imperious’ ex-Man City man for Conte! Find out more here.

Manchester United finally confirmed the appointment of Erik ten Hag on Thursday as the Red Devils secured their man ahead of the 2022/23 season.

Attention will now turn to the rebuild with Ralf Rangnick suggesting as many as ten new faces could walk through the door this summer.

What’s the word?

One player who ten Hag may look to bring to Old Trafford when the transfer window opens is RB Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku.

Amid sending scouts to watch him, United learned that the attacker had a price tag of £52m earlier this week but doubts have now clouded any possible deal.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano took to Twitter to relay comments from the club’s director who said: “I have said it before, and I will say it again here: Nkunku will be our player again next season.”

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That won’t bode well for the Red Devils but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t still try and prise him away from Germany.

Their very own Salah

At first glance, the play style of Nkunku and Mo Salah doesn’t exactly compare too well.

One is right-footed and used to playing on the left-hand side of the offensive line or behind the striker, while the other is the polar opposite, devastatingly efficient at cutting in from the right on their stronger left foot.

However, the data demonstrates that they are actually more alike than first meets the eye.

For starters, Nkunku is ruthless in front of goal, scoring 30 times throughout the current campaign and also registering a whopping 20 assists.

With a staggering 50 goal involvements in all competitions, he is ahead of Salah who has 42 in comparison.

Both incredibly dangerous in the final third, there are some more in-depth stats where similarities can be drawn.

When assessing FB Ref’s ‘similar player model, Salah and Nkunku are directly comparable and it’s easy to see why beyond their goal tallies.

Both players complete around 28 passes per 90 minutes while they also progress the ball with their passing between 111 and 116 yards per 90 minutes. Furthermore, the terrifying duo have both completed between 120 and 125 shot-creating actions in total this season.

When it comes to beating players, they are also incredibly similar from a data perspective.

The French forward has been dubbed a “nightmare” by ESPN and “unstoppable” by GOAL, and has proven exactly that with his dribbling numbers, achieving 2.11 successful dribbles and 6.02 progressive carries per 90.

As for Liverpool’s Egyptian king, he has managed 1.94 successful dribbles and 6.81 progressive carries per 90 minutes.

Consequently, it’s clear to see what Nkunku would provide United and if he could light up the Premier League as Salah has done, ten Hag will have an almighty player on his hands during his debut campaign in England.

AND in other news, “Man United will 100% sign..”: Romano drops transfer claim that will excite supporters…

Peter Siddle enjoyed a strong workout in the lead-up to the Ashes but Travis Birt kept Tasmania on track to set up a fascinating final day at the MCG

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Oct-2010
Scorecard
Travis Birt’s 68 stopped Victoria from skittling Tasmania cheaply•Getty ImagesPeter Siddle enjoyed a strong workout in the lead-up to the Ashes but Travis Birt kept Tasmania on track to set up a fascinating final day at the MCG. The Tigers finished the third afternoon with one wicket in hand and a lead of 276 – the exact total Victoria managed in the first innings – and both teams can still dream of victory.Tasmania could add a few more runs in the morning, although they will need to rely on the tailenders Xavier Doherty, who was on 5, and Adam Griffith, who was yet to score. Darren Pattinson bowled Victoria back into the contest with three breakthroughs in the final four overs, including the key wicket of Birt, who was caught at deep square leg for 68.It left the in-form Pattinson with 4 for 38 and he was chasing his second five-wicket haul for the summer. Pattinson is comfortably the leading wicket taker in the Sheffield Shield, but he has about as much chance of a late call-up for England’s Ashes campaign as Graham Gooch.Siddle is a much more likely Ashes prospect and he did his chances no harm with 3 for 24 from 14 overs, including the important wicket of Luke Butterworth, who made 39 in a good partnership with Birt. Butterworth had earlier collected two wickets to finish off Victoria’s tail cheaply in the morning, and he ended up with figures of 4 for 36 on a personally satisfying day.