After an action-packed week of Test cricket, Brian Lara and Rahul Dravid rose to the top of the PwC Ratings due to their double-hundreds, while Ricky Ponting dropped a notch after scoring 242 in a losing cause. Matthew Hayden fell off his perch at the top after an indifferent showing in the Adelaide Test. Jacques Kallis(+8), Michael Vaughan(+7), and VVS Laxman(+5) were the biggest gainers after their significant hundreds assisted the team’s cause.Sachin Tendulkar drops out of the top ten for the first time since 1993, following a poor run of form since the Test series in New Zealand in 2002-03. But his fall coincides with the stunning form of batsmen around the world. Adam Gilchrist, Graham Smith, Herschelle Gibbs, Lara, Dravid, Hayden, Ponting, and Vaughan have all been prolific on the international circuit.
Rank(change)
Player
Points
1(+1)
BrianLara
903
2(+2)
RahulDravid
880
3(-2)
MatthewHayden
870
4(-1)
RickyPonting
863
5(-)
Inzamam-ul-Haq
792
6(+1)
MarkRichardson
765
7(-1)
AdamGilchrist
759
8(+7)
MichaelVaughan
757
9(+1)
HHGibbs
754
10(+8)
JacquesKallis
751
Muttiah Muralitharan and Shaun Pollock continue to occupy the top spots after good showings against England and West Indies. Makhaya Ntini returns to the top ten list after a nine-wicket haul against West Indies, while Ajit Agarkar rises 16 places to 41, and achieves his PwC high of 389 points after a splendid bowling performance in the Adelaide Test.Stuart MacGill’s drop from the list can be attributed equally to poor bowling and good batting by India. Unable to take advantage of a fifth-day track that turned viciously, MacGill was taken apart by the batsmen on their way to a famous victory. It was the kind of batting that provoked MacGill to say, “It’s not as if they know what I am bowling, it’s almost as if they don’t really seem to care what I am bowling.”
New Zealand may have more of Chris Cairns’ services than originally thought as a result of his playing for Nottinghamshire in the county championship this winter.When he signed with the county there was an agreement Cairns would be available for 21 days for New Zealand, a figure based largely around the anticipated New Zealand tour of the West Indies.However, the rescheduling of New Zealand’s tour of Pakistan in April, could mean that Cairns could be available for longer.That depends on negotiations between Cairns and New Zealand Cricket, and then Nottinghamshire.Cairns’ manager Leanne McGoldrick said today that until firm dates were received after Jeff Crowe’s visit to Pakistan to inspect security provisions for the side, nothing could be certain.”When we know that Chris and I will have to sit down with Martin Snedden and sort out what New Zealand’s requirements are and then go back to Nottinghamshire.”They will look at the county itinerary and work out their requirements,” she said.”We are working towards him playing as many New Zealand games as he can,” she added.A best case scenario would see Cairns available for most of both the Pakistan and West Indies tours.New Zealand’s obligation to tour Pakistan would increase pressure on players this year but captain Stephen Fleming is confident the side can handle it.Fleming said today he had no problems with the tour to Pakistan being rescheduled.”I’m satisfied NZC are doing everything they can to get the safety issue in place. We’re sending people over there before hand.”Pakistan need us to tour and if it is safe enough we are happy to go,” he said.It had placed greater intensity on players but every year was pretty intense nowadays.”There’s obviously concerns that we will lose players along the way but we have a good stock of players and we just have to be smart with our selections.”There is a lot of cricket to be played. That’s what we enjoy doing so if we can keep players on the park, keep them reasonably fresh then there’s no real issue.
Gujranwala beat Lahore-B by a narrow margin of three wickets in the Quaid-e-Azam Grade-I National Championship match played at the LCCA Ground, Lahore.The Lahore team went into the match looking stronger than its rivals, at least on paper, as it boasted of two one-day international players plus a number of others who have played side games against test playing countries visiting Pakistan.The Lahore captain, Muhammad Hussain, won the toss and elected to bat first, hoping to exploit the spin-friendly conditions when his team went to bowl in the last innings.The Lahore batsmen, however, did not come up to the expectations of their captain, as the whole team became the victim of some rash stroke playing. Only Fareed Butt and Imran Yousaf could take their individual scores past 30. They made 39 and 35, respectively.For Gujranwala, the left arm spinner, Abdul Rehman, took 4 wickets for 54 runs and the left arm fast bowler, Sarfraz Ahmad, took 3 for 66.Gujranwala’s reply was not much different from that of Lahore, as they lost half of their batting line-up with just 120 on the board. However, useful knocks from Imran Abbas (37), Rizwan Malik (43), and Rana Qayyam-ul-Hassan (46) helped their side take a lead of 38 runs in the first innings.Muhammmad Hussain, the left-arm spinner, and Farhan Rasheed, the off-break bowler, took 5 and 3 wickets, respectively, for 54 and 66 runs. Imran Farhat, with his right-arm leg breaks, took one wicket for 6 runs.If Lahore’s start in the first innings was bad, it was disastrous in the second. Losing their first wicket with nothing on the board, they lost two more wickets by the time the score had reached 18.However, it was the innings of Fareed Butt, which helped a lot to bring respectability to the Lahore total. He held his innings intact while wickets at the other end kept tumbling. Despite taking several rising deliveries on the body (one of which forced him to take the services of a runner), he did not give until the ninth Lahore wicket had fallen.Fareed was the last man out as trying to hit one out of the ground, he gave a simple catch at mid-off. He made a patient 73 off 290 balls. Lahore were all out for 212 in their second innings.Sarfraz Ahmad was the most successful Gujranwala bowler taking 5 wickets for 36 runs, whereas Mubbashir Nazir and Abdul Rehman took 2 and 3 wickets, respectively, for 69 and 75 runs.Getting 175 in the last innings was not going to be easy for Gujranwala, especially when Hussain, the experienced left-arm spinner, had the ability to amply turn the ball.However, the Gujranwala openers, Imran Abbas and the debutant Attiq-ur-Rehman gave their team a very formidable start. Attiq, the first to depart, made a fine 36. Gujranwala lost their first wicket at the score of 58 and then, wickets just began to tumble. Some very tight bowling and good fielding soon saw them reduced to 108 for 6.It seemed at this stage that Lahore would be able to steal the match from the visitors. That was not to be, as Asim Munir and Kamran Younas, both under-19 players, shared a partnership of 53 to steer their side out of danger.The first ball of the second last over before lunch saw Hussain getting rid of the hard-hitting Karmran. However, the new comer, Hafiz Khalid, ensured that his team got no more jolts as he hit one four and two huge sixes in the same over to see his side through.
Fabrizio Romano has provided a key update on Tottenham target Franck Kessie.
The Lowdown: Spurs’ pre-contract offer
Spurs have been after the Ivorian for some time, with Antonio Conte giving the green light to a deal way back in November.
Kessie reportedly snubbed the chance to move to Tottenham in January as he wanted to see out the season in Italy, however, Fabio Paratici and co haven’t given up on bringing the 25-year-old to the club in the summer when he looks likely to be a free agent.
They have already made a ‘very powerful’ pre-contract offer but have now been joined by Barcelona in the race for his signature.
Romano took to Twitter on Thursday morning to share a significant update on Kessie. He claimed that Barcelona are offering the player a €6.5m (£5.37m) salary in a five-year deal, with Kessie now ‘tempted’ over a move to the Nou Camp.
“Barcelona are offering Franck Kessie around €6.5m net per season as guaranteed salary on a five year deal. Kessie’s understood to be tempted – Xavi’s pushing for both Franck and Andreas Christensen.”
The Verdict: Paratici needs to be quick…
It seems as if Spurs have had their eye on Kessie for a long time, with midfield an area that could do with bolstering in the summer due to the fact Conte has just four options at this moment in time, two of which are currently injured.
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However, if they are to win the race for Kessie, they will need to be quick going off Romano’s latest update. Tottenham still have the chance to sign an experienced international valued at £43.2m for nothing, but time seems to be running out.
In other news, find out what other big Tottenham transfer update has now been dropped here!
Football and injuries tend to go hand-in-hand, with players putting their bodies on the line each week. However, it is not just on the field of play where they can find themselves at risk, with a fair few injuries occurring away from the action, and these tend to be absolutely hilarious.
Valencia midfielder Ever Banega found himself as the latest victim of such an incident, when refuelling his car. The Argentine left his vehicle without putting the handbrake on, causing it to roll back over his foot, fracturing both his leg and ankle. The automobile mis-hap may be very unfortunate and worrying for all involved, but that doesn’t make it any less amusing.
Banega is by no means alone in his rotten luck, with many footballing thoroughbreds suffering odd injuries down the years. Here’s a list of some of those stars and the baffling injuries they have suffered.
Athletic Bilbao’s Iker Muniain has been likened to the Argentinean wizard Lionel Messi but is he actually as good as him? The 18 year old has been linked with Liverpool in recent days, so what do we know of him?
A product of Bilbao’s youth academy, the Basque became the team’s youngest ever player in July 2009 when he came on as a substitute against Switzerland’s BSC Young Boys in a Europa League qualifier, aged just 16 years, 7 months and 11 days. He then became the youngest player ever to score for the club when he scored in the return leg, helping Bilbao into the group stages.
In August 2009, Muniain made his league debut against Espanyol, and it wasn’t long before he broke another record, by scoring his first league goal against Real Valladolid in a 2-2 draw, making him the youngest player to ever score in La Liga, aged just 16 years and 289 days.
When he initially broke into the side, he played mostly as a support striker, but he prefers to play on the wings, and this campaign he has established himself as a left winger in Joaquin Caparros’s midfield. His style of play is rightly compared to Lionel Messi as at 5ft 6, he possesses great speed and agility on the ball with a similar low centre of gravity, and like the Argentine genius, he is also truly two footed, and possesses great technique and ball control.
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Playing in the top league at the tender age of 16, Muniain has shown a great deal of maturity beyond his years. He has great tactical awareness, and this was emphasised by his manager Caparros when after he provided two assists against Real Zaragoza last season, he said that Muniain possesses a “built-in GPS and eight gears.” Not only is he tactically astute in the offensive third though, he can also track back runners and has a never-say-die attitude which has led some in Spain to compare him favourably to Wayne Rooney.
He never shies away from physical encounters despite his diminutive stature and his hunger for the game is greatly admired. He loves to play the game at high tempo, and he has added goal scoring to his locker this season by scoring nine goals from his left wing position.
Still, there are areas that Muniain will need to improve upon. He is not physically strong, and can be pushed off the ball a little bit too easily. You can imagine that opposition defenders would make mince meat of the player in the Premier League, but with his ball control, speed and skill, he may just be too quick for many defenders, and you only have to look as far as Lionel Messi to know that size and strength isn’t everything in the modern game.
So, in conclusion, Muniain is certainly a promising player. Whether he would be interested in a move to Liverpool is up for debate, but he would certainly fit into the strategy of bringing in quality young players to Anfield.
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Kevin MacDonald has hinted that he could leave Aston Villa after being overlooked when the club stepped up their search to find a permanent successor to Martin O'Neill who resigned less than a week before the start of the season.
MacDonald has been in caretaker charge since O'Neill's exit but Monday's 2-1 defeat at Stoke City may be his last match in the hot-seat as Gerard Houllier is set to take on the managerial reins.
MacDonald has already turned down the chance to be the Frenchman's assistant but it had been thought that he would return to his previous job as reserve team boss.
However, he said:"I put my name up for the job. Once I did that I knew there might be disappointment. It took me long enough to decide what I wanted to do.
"Once I didn't get it I was disappointed, but my decision to go back and work with the reserves is totally down to me to re-evaluate what I want to do, it's as simple as that.
"I had always thought when I got the job that I wasn't going to do the assistant's job, so there was never any thought of doing that. Now I have to decide whether I'm going to be a manager.
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"Some would say I'm going to be a decent manager, others might not. I need to know for myself. I'm doing things for me."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
29th November 2006 – The day which Alex Song hit his lowest point in football. He was still a fringe player in the Arsenal squad at this time and had been selected for their trip at Fulham to come into a struggling side. Song’s performance was below par and he became the scapegoat for the team’s loss and poor start to the season. He was booed by a section of the away fans, shamefully, and was hauled off at half time by Arsene Wenger . It’s reported that the embarrassment didn’t stop there.
In the dressing room, Thierry Henry shouted at Song in front of the whole squad to the horror of the manager. It is widely thought that this is the main reason Henry was dropped for the coming games. However, it has been a near constant rise since that night for the Cameroonian. This was his only start in the Premier League for the club that season and in January, he moved to Charlton on loan for the rest of the season. It could be said this was the making of the strong defensive midfielder.
He made 12 Premier League appearances and despite Charlton’s subsequent relegation, Song starred and showed the fans of all clubs, especially Arsenal, that he was better than that performance in West London earlier in the season. Many outings were made in a central defensive position which he had much experience of in the past but was not his preferred position. He strengthened their defence and went from strength to strength with regular Premier League football the key to his progress.
Going back to Arsenal the next season proved difficult as he still found league appearances hard to come by and the midfield partnership of Cesc Fabregas and Mathieu Flamini seemed impenetrable. Then came his chance and emergence as Flamini rejected a new contract at the club and left for A.C. Milan on a free, to the dismay of Arsenal fans. This gave him the chance to challenge Denilson for the central midfield spot beside Cesc Fabregas and he made 31 league appearances in a breakthrough year for the then 22 year old.
Although, the 2009-10 season was one in which Song truly made himself a first team fixture and became a key member of the Arsenal midfield. Wenger changed his tactics from the favoured 4-4-2 to a 4-5-1/4-3-3 formation which gave the team more solidity and meant they could keep possession a lot better domestically, and crucially, in Europe. This was perfect for him as there was now a truly defensive midfield position in the team where he could be trusted to sit in front of the defence and give the creative players a platform to attack.
The team started strongly, scoring 10 goals on their first two games, with Song starting in midfield with Denilson and Fabregas. Despite two unlucky away losses to the Manchester clubs, their strong start continued and these were their only losses in their first 11 fixtures. He was constantly improving and doing a fantastic job of protecting the infamously fragile Arsenal defence and providing a shield against attacks and starting attacks himself.
He became one of the first names on the team sheet and was key in Arsenal’s impressive season where they were in realistic contention for the title until the last 5 or 6 games where they faltered amid a defensive injury crisis which led to the comeback to the club of Sol Campbell.
In my opinion, one of his standout performances of that and many other seasons, was the 1-0 win at home to Liverpool in February 2010. After losses to Chelsea and Manchester United in their previous two games, Arsenal ’s title challenge was on the ropes and they needed a win to revive it. In what was quite a dreary game, he did a phenomenal job of keeping the midfield solid and marking Steven Gerrard out of the game. Arsenal eventually scored the winner through an Abou Diaby header 18 minutes from time.
The 2009-10 season was a key time for Wenger’s Arsenal as their tactics and style of play changes to a much more Barcelona-like way of being patient and keeping possession. This is perfect for Song who isn’t the most pacey or dynamic of central midfielders but he is brilliant and making simple passes, keeping the football and protecting his defenders.
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Last season began inconsistently for Arsenal as they lost 6 league games by Christmas but had kept themselves in a reasonably weak title race where every team was lacking quality and consistency. He continued to be a regular fixture in the side and added an attacking verve to his game which hadn’t been seen as much the previous season. This could be attributed to the emergence of Jack Wilshere and his defensive qualities which meant he could trust him to sit back and shield the defence if he ventured forward which he did very successfully. He showed he had an eye for the killer pass as well as the ability to score crucial goals.
The most crucial coming in October when he came up with an 88th minute winner at home to West Ham to finally break down the North London rivals and win the game 1-0. He scored 5 goals by the end of 2010, but this was, sadly, the end of his goalscoring form for the year. Arsenal’s unbeaten run from December to April, coinciding with Robin van Persie’s return, led to a strong title challenge but the team yet again fell away at the end of the season and slipped to 4th eventually.
However, Song had once again had a storming season and had established himself as one of the best players in his position in the Premier League.
This season started poorly for him and the rest of the team with the loss of his deep midfield partner Jack Wilshere to injury along with the sale of creative midfielders, Fabregas and Samir Nasri. But the purchase of Mikel Arteta has been fantastic for Song and the Arsenal midfield, he has the nous and ability to sit back when Song ventures forward and give him a key outlet when sparking attacks. They have formed a strong partnership in the team, starting virtually every league game together so far.
Alex Song obviously suffered from a turbulent and inconsistent start to his Arsenal career but the loan spell at Charlton along with the change of tactics at Arsenal has led to him establishing a key and strong position in the team helping them to two title challenges as well as a standout win at home to Barcelona in February. His constant rise seems unstoppable and he is sure to be a key performer for Arsenal for many years to come.
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Article courtesy of Charlie Rainsford from This is Futbol
AC Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri wants his team to stay focused despite moving a step closer to the Serie A title with a win over Brescia.Although Inter Milan also won on Saturday, Napoli lost at Palermo making AC Milan’s 1-0 win all the more important.
Allegri’s team has an eight-point gap on Inter with four games remaining, but the boss wants his team to remain focused.
“Another four points would secure the Scudetto. Now, we have to focus on having a relaxing Easter break and from Wednesday we’ll start thinking about Bologna, another difficult game seeing as they’re getting sucked back into the relegation battle,” Allegri said.
“We’re not planning any title celebrations right now. We just need to relax over Easter.”
Milan’s superior head-to-head record over Inter and Napoli this season means even if they finish level on points, the title would be theirs.
They had to wait until the 82nd minute for Robinho to find the net at Brescia and Allegri said his team deserved to win.
“We had two or three risky situations with Brescia, as unfortunately we didn’t make our first-half domination count,” Allegri said.
“It’s only natural to have a little fatigue as we played in the Coppa Italia on Wednesday evening, but the lads held out well.”
“The team overall created plenty of scoring opportunities and deserved the victory.”
Midfielder Gennaro Gattuso was a late withdrawal after suffering a muscle injury in the warm-up.
The signature of Sol Campbell by Newcastle manager Chris Hughton in the summer is generally thought to be a shrewd one by the Premier League club. The former England international defender brings a whole host of experience with him to St James’ Park and will help provide competition for places at the heart of the Newcastle backline. The question is, though, with Fabricio Coloccini and Mike Williamson forming a solid centre-back partnership, will Campbell be able to force himself into the first team picture?
Campbell arrived at Newcastle amidst claims he was ‘fat’ and some way from fitness following his wedding and hence lack of training in the summer. The defender is not exactly getting any younger as his 36th birthday approaches, but Campbell still has a role to play for the Toon. As a professional footballer it won’t take long to get himself back up to speed and following a couple of reserve team outings, he’s already well on the way to doing this. Campbell himself believes he’ll make his debut at home to Blackpool on Saturday, but surely he can’t expect more than a short run-out from the bench, can he?
Hughton won’t want to change a line-up that demolished Aston Villa and more than held their own at Molineux against Wolves. Coloccini is showing what a class act he is and Williamson is proving that he was an absolute steal when Newcastle signed him from Portsmouth in January. With the form of these two, Campbell will have to settle for a place on the bench, but given the injury to Steven Taylor, he will certainly be next in line. Campbell may be getting on a bit, but he hasn’t lost any of his ambition that has made him a winner throughout his career and that can only be a good thing for Newcastle.