All posts by h716a5.icu

New Zealand allrounder Jacob Oram has hit back at comments made by Craig McMillan that he too readily pulled out of games with injuries. McMillan had suggested that Oram had been “wrapped in cotton wool” by both the previous and current coaching regimes

Cricinfo staff17-Dec-2008
Jacob Oram: “I understand people who have never bowled a ball in anger in their lives having a bit of a go at me for potentially being on the soft side, but it’s disappointing to come from an ex-teammate” © AFP
Jacob Oram, the injury-prone New Zealand allrounder, has hit back at comments made by Craig McMillan that he too readily pulled out of games with injuries.McMillan, who retired from international cricket last year and is a former team-mate of Oram’s, criticised his absence from the ongoing Test series against West Indies, after Oram was ruled out of the second match with a calf strain, meaning that he has missed the two-Test series.McMillan had suggested that Oram had been “wrapped in cotton wool” by both the previous and current coaching regimes. “You’ve always got sore calfs, hammys [hamstrings] but you just get on and do it,” McMillan told . “Unfortunately with Jake’s [Oram’s] track record, he has missed some games that maybe he could have got through.”Oram, who has now sat out five consecutive Tests through injury, having last played in the first Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong, said he did not expect to hear such comments from a former team-mate.”I understand people who have never bowled a ball in anger in their lives having a bit of a go at me for potentially being on the soft side, but it’s disappointing to come from an ex-teammate,” he said. “He knows the rigours and the stresses of international cricket and it’s a bit rich saying if it’s 50-50, I don’t play.”Oram said he had played matches with broken fingers in the past, but he could understand the frustration of fans over his frequent injury absences. “If they’re annoyed, I’m a hundred times worse,” he said.The allrounder had previously sustained a back injury during the Test series away to Bangladesh in October, that ruled him out of the second and final match, as well as the tour of Australia that followed. He then fractured a finger while turning out for Central Districts in the State Championship in the last week of November.New Zealand coach Andy Moles however, said he expected Oram to return to the side for the two Twenty20 internationals and five ODIs against the West Indies following the second and final Test in Napier starting Friday.

Rangers have confirmed their fourth summer signing, with midfielder Juninho Bacuna joining Steven Gerrard’s side at Ibrox from Huddersfield Town.

What’s the word?

The 24-year-old was confirmed as a Rangers player surely before the Europa League play-off fixture against Alashkert on Thursday night, which the Gers won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Alfredo Morelos.

Gerrard made it clear earlier in the week that Rangers were looking to add a central midfielder to the squad, suggesting that he felt they were light on options in the middle of the park.

He said: “We have a couple of players who are capable of dropping down and playing as hybrids, if you like.

“But it is an area where, last year, come the end of the season with the volume of games, we felt we were a bit short at times.

“We did ask Glen Kamara, Steven Davis and Joe Aribo to go above and beyond and they did that. But I don’t want to be as vulnerable as I was at the back end of the season.

“I want to have options and I do like to have two players in each position.”

The 41-year-old was quickly able to get his man, and given the way John Lundstram has started life in a Rangers shirt, it might not be too long until we see Bacuna starting in the Gers midfield.

The 24-year-old Curacao international was highly rated during his time at Groningen and had been a regular with the Terriers during his time in Yorkshire, making 107 appearances, in which he contributed 12 goals and nine assists.

Former Groningen ace Jan Mennega was full of praise for Bacuna after his transfer was made official, saying: “He is a dynamic player but not a big creator on the pitch.

“He can play in all sorts of positions. In Groningen, he would be used in many different roles, a lot like his brother Leandro, who plays for Cardiff now.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“593776”]

Therefore, it seems as if the £4.5m-rated Bacuna will be an excellent utility player for Gerrard to have in his squad due to his versatility, which will surely delight the Liverpool legend as he looks to get Rangers back on track after a disappointing start to the new season.

In other news… Forget Morelos: “Top drawer” Rangers beast was Gerrard’s real hero vs Alashkert

Darren Lehmann, the former Australia batsman, has ruled himself out of contention for the job of England coach and has opted to stay with Deccan Chargers, the IPL team

Cricinfo staff12-Jan-2009
Darren Lehmann, who retired from the first-class scene last year, has pledged his alliance to the Deccan Chargers © Getty Images
Darren Lehmann, the former Australia batsman, has ruled himself out of contention for the job of England coach and has opted to stay with Deccan Chargers, the IPL team. Lehmann had been linked to the England job after a public endorsement from Shane Warne last week and was quoted as saying that he was interested in the role.Lehmann, however, said in a statement today that he would coach Deccan for the second IPL season that starts on April 10. “The time is not right for me to coach England,” Lehmann said. “I am flattered Shane Warne has mentioned my name but my sole focus right now is with Deccan Chargers.”Tim Wright, the franchise’s chief executive, confirmed to Cricinfo that Lehmann, who was appointed as Deccan coach after they finished at the bottom last year, would continue with the Hyderabad-based team.Lehmann said that his priority now is to work on building Deccan along with Adam Gilchrist who replaced VVS Laxman as captain last year. Deccan have already signed up Ryan Harris, the Australia allrounder, through an IPL rule that allows teams to recruit uncapped players directly. Harris has since been named in the Australia Twenty20 side against South Africa.”Darren identified Ryan Harris back in June long before Harris’ selection for Australia’s T20 squad and he has identified some good new Indian talent,” Wright said. “I speak with Lehmann most days so I know how determined he is to help make Deccan Chargers successful.”Lehmann is not the first Australian whose name has been brought up for discussion for the England job, with Tom Moody also being linked to the position. South Africa’s Graham Ford, the Kent director of cricket, has expressed an interest in filling the post.Lehmann, 38, played 27 Tests and 117 ODIs for Australia and also captained Yorkshire during his stint as an overseas player from 1997 to 2006.England will not appoint a new head coach for the upcoming tour of the West Indies. Andrew Strauss, who replaced Kevin Pietersen as captain, will be supported in the Caribbean by Andy Flower, England’s assistant coach, Phil Neale, the team operations manager, and other specialist coaches and support staff.

Former Premier League striker Nigel Jemson insists that his beloved Liverpool need to make themselves available to try to sign Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland from PSG and Borussia Dortmund.

Mbappe is seemingly poised for a PSG exit in this transfer window, with a huge move to Real Madrid mooted.

Reports have suggested that Real have seen a bid worth £137m rejected by the French club, although they have admitted that the World Cup winner does want to leave.

Mbappe has enjoyed an astonishing spell at the French giants, scoring 133 goals and registering 63 assists in 174 games.

Jemson believes that Liverpool should be in the running to sign the elite forward, with previous links mooting a potential move to Anfield.

And he also believes that the club should be in the running to sign both Haaland and Robert Lewandowski.

Haaland’s release clause comes into effect next summer, a development that will surely spark a scramble for his signature, while Lewandowski is reported to have told Bayern Munich that he is open to leaving the club this summer.

Jemson said: “You can’t stand still as a football club. If someone becomes available like Haaland, Mbappe, Lewandowski, you’ve got to make yourself available.”

A round-up of the fourth day of the fourth-round matches of the regional four-day competition

Cricinfo staff03-Feb-2009
Jamaica’s Wavell HInds on his way to an unbeaten 59 © The Nation
Leg-spinner Anthony Martin picked up a career-best 7 for 81 to give LeewardIslands their first win in the tournament against Guyana in Nevis. Needing a further 206 runs for victory, Guyana picked up from their overnight 36 for 2 and battled to add 90 runs in the morning session for the loss of two wickets. The experienced Narsingh Deonarine and Royston Crandon then steered the visitors to a fighting 126 for 4 at lunch, still 116 runs adrift of victory. Both batsmen brought up their half-centuries and appeared to be guiding Guyana to victory with a 101-run fifth-wicket stand but the visitors’ position declined rapidly after Martin dislodged Deonarine for 56. Even as Martin produced a five-wicket burst after lunch, at 229 for 8, just 13 runs away from the target, Guyana were still on course for the win. But Gavin Tonge had Davendra Bishoo caught behind and Martin dislodged Esaun Crandon soon after to seal the win before tea.Martin was elated after helping Leewards snap a two-game losing streak with the 10-run victory. “I am feeling so good right now and I don’t even know what to say,” he told . “I just had a good feeling out there and I told myself that I had to do it. The team was depending on me to put in the work and I did.”David Bernard and Wavell Hinds stroked unbeaten half-centuries to hand Jamaica a six-wicket win over Barbados in Jamaica. Bernard (60) and Wavell Hinds (59) were involved in an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 122 that lifted the table-toppers and defending champions from a precarious 81 for 4 and gave them their third win of the tournament. Chasing 201, after Barbados were bowled out at the close of play on Sunday, Jamaica stuttered as left-arm seamer Pedro Collins and left-arm spinner Ryan Hinds made early inroads, picking up two wickets apiece. Bernard and Wavell Hinds came together just after lunch when captain Tamar Lambert was bowled by Ryan Hinds and the duo defied the Barbados bowlers, keeping them wicketless in the post-lunch session before achieving victory. Bernard struck six fours in his 133-ball innings, while Hinds hit two fours and a six in the 148 balls he faced.

Jamaica 43 0 0 1 0 42 Barbados 4 2 1 01 0 27 Windward Islands 42 2 0 0 0 24 Trinidad & T 3 1 0 02 0 21 Leeward Islands 31 2 0 0 0 16 Comb CC 3 1 2 00 0 12 Guyana 30 3 0 0 0 0

Some Everton fans have been left buzzing as a transfer update emerged on Moise Kean.

As per Alfredo Pedulla, talks have now begun for the potential sale of the Italy international to Juventus before the summer window ends.

Kean is yet to score in his first two games of the 2021/22 season for the Goodison Park faithful, and has not had a good time on Merseyside in general, scoring a mere four goals and making just two assists in 39 matches in total over the last three consecutive campaigns (Transfermarkt).

However, given that he is just 21 years of age, he still holds a market value of £31.5m according to Transfermarkt after a productive loan spell at PSG, and so Rafa Benitez’s team could sell him for a decent price, and then use that money to reinvest in a replacement before the deadline hits.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/everton-updates-5/” title=”Everton updates! (5)” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Everton fans on Kean transfer update

These Toffees supporters were left buzzing as the exit claim on Kean was shared on Twitter:

“Take him take him take him”

Credit: @matt9uk

“Would be a good move for all concerned parties.”

Credit: @BobbyC1878

“Let’s hope so”

Credit: @lordoftheping

“That’s why he’s smiling in the latest training video. Get rid ASAP”

Credit: @sickleclown

“Take him and give us Rabiot, McKennie or Ronaldo”

Credit: @RMlibf

“Moise Kean for CR7 straight up”

Credit: @notaaronsmith

In other news, find out what transfer update has Blues fuming here!

The ICC has reduced the number of reviews available to a team from three unsuccessful reviews per innings to two during the Test series between England and West Indies in February

Cricinfo staff29-Jan-2009
England will try out the umpire review system for the first time in the Tests in West Indies © Getty Images
The ICC has reduced the number of reviews available to a team from three unsuccessful reviews per innings to two during the Test series between England and West Indies in February.Earlier, each team was allowed three unsuccessful reviews per innings and the reduction was based on feedback from players and match officials. If the modification works successfully in the Caribbean, it will also be trialled in the Tests between Australia and South Africa later in February. Once the two series are finished, the review system will be appraised, and the merits of using or discarding it will be debated by the ICC’s cricket committee in May.Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, said the review system had received positive feedback but it had to be trialled further before it was introduced on a permanent basis.”That is why we have made this refinement to it,” Lorgat said. “It has become clear during the trial so far that three unsuccessful reviews per innings are too many as there is potential for frivolous or unnecessary reviews to be made by one side or the other. We are testing different playing conditions so that we can find the best one and give the trial every chance of succeeding. We listen to feedback and we have been hearing that two is a preferred option.”After the review system was used during West Indies’ tour of New Zealand, the two captains, Daniel Vettori and Chris Gayle, expressed concern over its usage. Vettori said it would dilute the on-field umpire’s authority if it was constantly used for marginal calls, and Gayle felt it was the standing umpires’ job to make decisions.The system has caused debate and controversy since it was first tried on the domestic circuit in England in 2007, and it received mixed reactions on its international debut in the Tests between Sri Lanka and India earlier this year. However the ICC decided to extend trials to three other Test series. After Australia’s tour of South Africa, seven teams – Sri Lanka, India, New Zealand, West Indies, England, South Africa and Australia – would have been exposed to the new umpiring system.

Fulham were extremely close to securing a deal to bring Matt Grimes to Craven Cottage on Tuesday.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Swansea Independent, who claim that Swansea City were looking for a fee of around £4m in order to sanction the sale of the central midfielder, comprised of a £3m down payment with the remainder paid in add-ons.

The report went on to state that Fulham’s highest offer for the 26-year-old totalled £3m including add-ons, with the Welsh side rejecting this proposal and standing firm on their valuation of the former England U21 international.

Big mistake

While Fulham did manage to replace the outgoing Andre-Frank Anguissa with Nathaniel Chalobah in the final few hours of the summer transfer window, considering the sheer amount of talent Grimes appears to possess, in addition to the fact the Cottagers were a matter of a few hundred thousand pounds away from securing a deal for the midfielder, the argument that Marco Silva could well have made a big mistake in not landing the Swansea City captain is a rather easy one to make.

Indeed, over his 45 Championship appearances for the Swans last season, the £6.3m-rated man bagged two goals, registered three assists and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of one shot and making 0.8 key passes per game.

The player Steve Cooper dubbed an “excellent” midfielder also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 1.5 interceptions, 2.1 tackles, 1.3 clearances and winning 5.3 duels per league fixture.

These returns saw the £10k-per-week 26-year-old earn a highly impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.04, ranking him as his club’s fifth-best player in the second tier – playing a key role in Swansea’s run to the play-off final.

As such, when taking into account these impressive displays, coupled with the fact that Silva could have landed the midfielder for a great deal less than his current Transfermarkt valuation, the 44-year-old Fulham boss could very easily come to regret not sanctioning a swoop for the Swansea City star on Tuesday.

In other news: Fulham confirm last-minute deadline day double swoop, Silva will be buzzing

Andrew McGlashan presents the plays of the fifth day in Barbados

Andrew McGlashan in Barbados02-Mar-2009
Andrew Strauss cuts one onto his stumps © Getty Images
Early warning
Fidel Edwards was the man everyone was talking about overnight and this morning: the one bowler to have extracted any life from this surface. He charged in from his first over, but immediately had problems with Aleem Dar who was unhappy with the follow through. It seemed to unsettle Edwards as Dar spoke to him a few more times, while Chris Gayle also got involved for a moment. Once England had weathered the early barrage their task was fairly straightforward.Short Nash
One of the few chances that came West Indies’ way on the final day was when Alastair Cook went to slog-sweep Sulieman Benn and got a big top edge towards deep midwicket. Brendan Nash, who isn’t the tallest, turned and sprinted at full pace to try and get under the catch. At the final moment he seemed to be nearly there and pulled out a dive, managing to get his hand on the ball but unable to hold on. How he probably wished he was 6ft 7in like Benn.Captain’s turn
After his four frontline options had failed to break through, Chris Gayle brought himself on and did the trick with his fifth ball. Andrew Strauss, who had been playing so comfortably yet again, went back to cut a ball that was too close and got a bottom edge into the stumps. West Indies captain 1, England captain 0 on this occasion.Stuck on 99
It isn’t as though Cook hadn’t approached Test centuries before, but it’s the fact it had been 14 months (and 16 Tests) since his previous ton that made the final run seem so tough. When he cut Gayle through backward point to move to 99 it was enough to become the youngest England batsman to reach 3000 Test runs, but he stayed on 99 for 11 balls before finally managing to whip Ryan Hinds past mid-on for three. His celebrations were low-key – this was a comfortable hundred – but inside it will have been a huge release.Super sub
After tea West Indies needed another substitute – Lendl Simmons was already on the field – so called into service their assistant coach David Williams. The last Test Williams played was on this ground, against England, in 1998 so his brief comeback was well timed. He was a bundle of energy in the field, skipping about from slip like a little kid and being cheered by the other players. It was that sort of afternoon.

Manchester United have kicked off their new Premier League campaign in solid fashion, picking up seven points from a possible nine in the opening weeks of the season.

A stunning 5-1 victory over Leeds United on the opening day was followed up by a frustrating draw with Southampton before the Red Devils returned to winning ways against Wolves last time out.

The main talking point regarding their on-pitch performances has been Paul Pogba’s five assists in just three games, four of which came against Leeds in their curtain-raiser.

However, it is arguably another one of United’s academy graduates who has really been leading the way for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s charges in the early stages of 2021/22.

As per SofaScore, 19-year-old Mason Greenwood has received a match rating of 7.57 out of 10, the highest tally compared to his teammates – and with three goals in as many games, it’s easy to understand why.

The England international’s underlying numbers are perhaps just as impressive. Greenwood has averaged 3.7 shots per game for his boyhood club, while also providing 1.3 key passes for his teammates, showcasing his ability to be both the finisher and creator.

The teenager has also created one big chance, recorded a passing accuracy of 84% and averaged 2.3 successful dribbles per appearance, per Sofascore.

While the arrival of five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo may limit Greenwood’s chances of playing as a central striker this season, he should still get plenty of opportunities to shine on the right-hand side.

Solskjaer will be hoping that his young prodigy can carry on his scintillating form following the international break and guide United back to the Premier League summit.

In other news… Man Utd eyeing “exceptional” £22.5m-rated beast, he’s an upgrade on McTominay & Fred