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Shoaib Akhtar, who could end a year’s absence from international cricket at home in the upcoming series against Sri Lanka, has said lively pitches – in a country with a reputation for preparing flat, slow tracks – are needed for the series to be competiti

Cricinfo staff23-Dec-2008
Shoaib Akhtar has not played a Test or an ODI in more than a year © AFP
Shoaib Akhtar, who could end a year’s absence from international cricket at home in the upcoming series against Sri Lanka, has said lively pitches – in a country with a reputation for preparing flat, slow tracks – are needed for the series to be competitive. “It is important that we have sporting wickets for the series against Sri Lanka,” he said. “Only good wickets can help produce good matches.”Shoaib was included in the squad for the ODI series against West Indies in Abu Dhabi last November but missed all three matches due to fitness concerns. “I’ve been working hard on my fitness,” he said in Karachi, where he led Federal Areas Leopards into the final of the Pentangular Cup one-day championship. “I will try my best to give a good performance against Sri Lanka. They are a strong side and I believe matches against them would be quite tough.”Sri Lanka’s tour – including three Tests and five ODIs – will fill in for India, who withdrew from their scheduled series in Pakistan in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks.The ongoing Pentangular Cup features many national-level players, including Shoaib. He bowled a maiden over – the penultimate one of the match – for Leopards against NWFP Panthers in a thrilling one-run win to help his team reach the final. I told my boys to keep their hopes alive till the last ball of the match,” Shoaib said. “My players really responded well. We needed match practice and this event has provided us with some good games.”

Celtic have been linked with a move for former Leeds striker Jean-Kevin Augustin by French outlet Homme du Match.

The Lowdown: Augustin’s last 18 months

Augustin has had a rather bizarre 18 months after Marcelo Bielsa brought him to Leeds back in January 2020.

The 24-year-old was signed by the Whites on loan from RB Leipzig with a reported obligation to buy for £18m, should they earn promotion to the Premier League.

Leeds did just that but went back on their agreement to sign the Frenchman on a permanent basis.

Augustin has since joined Nantes but has been at the centre of a legal dispute between Leeds and Leipzig, a case the Whites lost last month.

The Latest: Celtic links

Homme du Match, who linked Diego Costa with a move to Parkhead last week, have suggested that Celtic are closely interested in Augustin.

They claim that the Hoops want to relaunch Augustin’s career and he is viewed as a potential replacement for Odsonne Edouard.

Turkish side Fenerbahce are also in the running for Augustin, who has been sent to Nantes’ reserves by manager Antoine Kombouare.

The Verdict: Avoid

Augustin is on £21,000-a-week with Nantes and would be a huge gamble by Celtic to replace Edouard.

Over the last 18 months, he has made just six appearances, three for Leeds and three for Nantes.

He didn’t score in any of those games and Celtic may have to make him their top earner ahead of Callum McGregor on £20,000-a-week.

His wages, lack of game time and lack of goals in recent years all show warning signs over a possible move, so hopefully, the Hoops avoid this one.

In other news: Offer made: Celtic launch bid for 147-goal ace on £53k-p/w; selling club need the cash. 

Valerien Ismael’s first competitive game in charge of West Bromwich Albion did not get off to the best of starts on Friday evening, with his Albion side twice having to come from behind to salvage a draw against AFC Bournemouth.

Prior to kick-off, Ismael sprung a number of surprises with his matchday squad, with Cedric Kipre being awarded his first league start for the club more than a year after joining, while loanee defender Matt Clarke was absent from the team altogether, with the manager revealing after the match that the 24-year-old had a hip problem.

Romaine Sawyers was also absent from the West Brom side amid reports linking the central midfielder with a move to Stoke City, while the Frenchman only named six out of a possible seven substitutes for the clash.

Unfortunately for Kipre, it was his performance which grabbed attention for all the wrong reasons, with the 24-year-old looking as if he struggled to keep up with the pace of West Brom’s game, and generally demonstrating why he had not featured from the off before this fixture.

Indeed, the £14k-per-week defender got off to a shocking start, over-committing in a challenge with Bournemouth’s Jaidon Anthony in the 12th minute of the game, subsequently allowing the winger to burst into the Albion penalty area before squaring to Emiliano Marcondes, who duly put the Cherries 1-0 up.

Things did not get much better for the defender as the match went on, with the £900k-rated man being very sloppy in possession of the ball, completing just 19 of his 29 attempted passes with a success rate of just 66%, as well as losing the ball on 11 separate occasions.

The former Ivory Coast under-23 international also lost six of his 11 duels and committed one foul, with these metrics seeing the 24-year-old earn a disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.6 – ranking him as the Baggies’ worst defender on the night.

As such, it would very much appear ad if Kipre did not repay the faith that Ismael – albeit reluctantly – placed in him in for the 2-2 draw at the Vitality Stadium on Friday, with the Frenchman surely hoping that Clarke will be fit for the visit of Luton Town next week.

In other news: West Brom dealt transfer blow on “tenacious” £4.5m beast, Ismael will be gutted

An update has emerged on Aston Villa midfielder Marvelous Nakamba, regarding interest in his services… 

What’s the talk?

According to The Daily Mail, Crystal Palace and Everton are both interested in signing Aston Villa defensive midfielder Marvelous Nakamba this summer.

The report claims that Dean Smith wants to improve his midfield options before the end of the transfer window, which could push Nakamba further down the pecking order and open the door to an exit.

Fans would be relieved

Villa chief Johan Lange must ruthlessly axe Nakamba from the squad this summer and replace him to give Smith a better set of midfield options next season. The ex-Club Bruges midfielder has not been able to consistently prove himself at Premier League level since arriving at the club at the start of the 2019/20 campaign and Lange must act on Everton and Palace’s interest to recoup some money for his services.

One player Villa have been linked with in his position is Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse. He would be a significant upgrade on Nakamba and improve the club’s chances of competing for a European spot next term, with the England international averaging a sublime WhoScored rating of 7.07 for the Saints. The Villa man, meanwhile, was only able to average a score of 6.52 in the Midlands.

Therefore, cashing in on him amid this interest from elsewhere could help to fund a deal for Ward-Prowse, which would be an improvement to Smith’s midfield. Fans would be relieved to see the back of Nakamba, especially if it meant that they could bring in an excellent player to take his place in the squad.

Former Premier League player Benjani had backed Nakamba to prove his debut season critics wrong in 2020, heading into last season. He said:

“The Premier League is a very difficult league I tell you.

“Just to make it into that league is a huge achievement on its own, so we have to celebrate Marvelous Nakamba. He has done very well. Last season was his debut and he managed to show his capabilities. I am convinced next season he will prove his critics wrong.”

However, the £34k-per-week enforcer ended up regressing. He played 29 games in his first season for Villa, starting 19, and then went on to play 13 times – nine starts – in the 2020/21 campaign. This shows that he is not cut out to play regularly at the top level, which is another reason why fans will be happy to see him walk out of the door this summer.

AND in other news, Big update emerges on “wonderful” gem that will surely leave Villa fans gutted…

Yorkshire finished the Roses match well on top, with Lancashire having to fight hard to avoid defeat, but it is inevitable that they will have a couple of regrets and ‘what if’ questions.

John Ward at Old Trafford15-Aug-2008
ScorecardYorkshire finished the Roses match well on top, with Lancashire having to fight hard to avoid defeat, but it is inevitable that they will have a couple of regrets and ‘what if’ questions. A delayed declaration, unwarranted trust in the weather forecast, and their lack of a good second spinner: all were factors that reduced their chances of victory, but in the end the loss of almost a day and a half to rain may have been too much for them anyway.Yorkshire began the day on 234, three runs ahead of Lancashire, but crucially with eight wickets in hand. Their preferred scenario would have been to run up a total of 400 as quickly as possible, declare, and then bowl out Lancashire a second time for an outright victory. In the event, the runs took a little longer than they would have liked. Jacques Rudolph began with some aggressive strokes and raced into the twenties, but then he and Andrew Gale became rather tied down by persistent bowling.Gayle finally lost his wicket for 136, driving a catch to wide long-on; almost immediately afterwards Adam Lyth (1) called for a risky single to backward point, only to be sent back and run out. Rudolph’s 50 came off 72 balls and he eventually fell for 54, getting in a tangle over a ball from the occasional leg-spinner Faf du Plessis that reared out of the footmarks, and popping a catch to the keeper.Tim Bresnan was promoted, presumably in the hope of quick runs, and if so was a partial success. Yorkshire at lunch had earned another batting point, on 355 for 6, but the declaration that many expected did not materialize. Rain was not considered likely, and a declaration at that point would give them a lead of only 119 runs and Lancashire two sessions during which they would surely exceed that total if they survived, so it did make sense for Yorkshire to seek full batting points – if the weather forecast proved correct. The major problem was that it took a little too long to reach that 400, which was attained almost 40 minutes after lunch, with Bresnan scoring 47 not out.du Plessis finished with 3 for 61, while Cork’s 1 for 26, surprisingly under-bowled for just 12 overs, was also presentable, but the others would not have pleased their owners. Keedy took 1 for 142 off 48.5 overs, and deserved better, troubling the batsmen at times, but just seemed to lack that little extra something that the great English spinners of the past had.Lancashire went in again with a deficit of 169 runs, and a minimum of 51 overs to survive. Matthew Hoggard for one was fired up; in his first over Iain Sutcliffe nudged a four but was then caught at the wicket from a ball that bounced and moved away. Paul Horton did not look comfortable and earned two fortunate boundaries, but he hung on, while Stuart Law (4) departed, being easily caught at mid-on off a stroke that was half hook, half pull against Bresnan.It was a spinner’s pitch, but it was still startling to see occasional leg-spinner Rudolph coming on for the ninth over. Adil Rashid came on at the other end, a more orthodox move, and he immediately bamboozled and bowled du Plessis with a well-flighted googly – they don’t get many of those in South Africa. Lancashire were now in trouble at 29 for 3.Horton played a fine rearguard innings while keeping the score moving, reaching 50 off 83 balls, and the much-maligned Lou Vincent, though virtually strokeless (3 off 38 balls at tea) hung in there with him. Adam Lyth also bowled, but Yorkshire, who had omitted David Wainwright, now felt the loss of a genuine second spinner to partner Rashid. Darren Gough cut down his pace and run to have a try with cutters, and he rang his bowling changes, but the two refused to yield. Within living memory, bowlers such as Johnny Wardle, Bob Appleyard and Ray Illingworth would surely have completed the job, but times have changed and English counties do not produce spin bowlers like they used to.At five o’clock, the unexpected happened – the clouds loomed and the players left the field for bad light. Fifteen minutes later, with light still poor but only a light smattering of rain, the game was officially abandoned as a draw, and Yorkshire were left to regret what might have been. Rashid finished with figures of 1 for 16 off 16 overs, but he too must surely have regretted not being part of what is virtually an extinct species in the cricket world outside Asia – a set of ‘spin twins’.

Manchester United have received a potentially significant boost in their pursuit of Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane.

What’s the story?

According to Goal journalist Mario Cortegana, the Spanish giants have accepted that the 28-year-old is likely to leave the club this summer and are now waiting for a formal offer from the Red Devils.

The report claims that Real Madrid made a contract offer to Varane ahead of the European Championship, but the France international delayed his response to the proposal as he wanted to concentrate on playing for his nation.

Despite Les Bleus being eliminated in the last 16 at Euro 2020, the centre-back has not provided the capital club with any update over his future, leading the Bernabeu hierarchy to believe that an exit is imminent.

Fans will be buzzing

News that Varane has not accepted Real Madrid’s offer of a new deal must have United supporters buzzing with excitement.

The centre of defence has been a problem position for many years at Old Trafford, and bringing in a world-class operator will provide many with genuine hope that their issues will be resolved. United conceded 44 goals in 38 Premier League games last season, the highest total compared to their top-four rivals.

Although Varane will not be able to transform the club’s defensive unit on his own, he should be able to make a significant difference and help Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side continue their progression.

The Norwegian guided United to second place in the Premier League in 2020/21, but a defeat in the Europa League final extended the club’s longest trophy drought in more than 30 years.

However, with the addition of former Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho set to be completed in the coming days and Varane potentially joining him, silverware could be about to return to the red half of Manchester.

The Real Madrid man has established himself as one of the best players in his position over the last decade, winning four Champions Leagues, three La Liga titles and one Copa del Rey during his time in Spanish football.

Varane’s arrival at United would be a clear indication of the progressive path on the club is now embarking, and the Old Trafford faithful will surely be urging the hierarchy to get this deal over the line.

In other news… Laurie Whitwell drops update on £54m-rated Man United maestro, Ole will be fuming 

A round-up of the County Championship action on July 17, 2008

Cricinfo staff17-Jul-2008
Graham Wagg stands tall to cut during his maiden first-class hundred for Derbyshire © Getty Images
An unbeaten 126 from Will Smith put Durham in control at Guildford where they closed on 259 for 5, a lead of 39 over Surrey. On a gloomy day where play was interupted and finished early, Durham, three down overnight, looked in trouble on 128 for 4, but Smith and Phil Mustard (62*) put on 131 for the fifth wicket. Smith completed his hundred on the stroke of tea and even the new ball failed to make any inroads.Somerset did not enforce the follow-on against Kent at Taunton despite taking a first-innings lead of 219, and struggled to 129 for 5 at the close, still a lead of 348 which could already be enough even though Taunton is usually notoriously hard to bowl sides out on. Kent, resuming on 13 for 3, slid to 90 for 6 and only had a last-wicket stand of 50 between Ryan McLaren (34) and Robbie Joseph (23*) to thank for helping them avoid a more substantial deficit. Somerset lost Marcus Trescothick when he was left stranded responding to a call from Justin Langer for sharp single into the covers, but Langer made amends by finishing the day unbeaten on 65.Hampshire were left facing the follow-on at Arundel on a day where low cloud and rain made batting hard. Murray Goodwin, 116 overnight, was the anchor as Sussex extended their first innings to 426 in the morning, making 184 before being caught behind to give Liam Dawson his maiden first-class scalp. James Tomlinson, who had been savaged yesterday, recovered to finish with 5 for 108. Hampshire lost both openers in reaching 14 and the skids were really put under the inninsg when Ollie Rayner removed Sean Ervine and Paul Crawley (70) in quick succession, both to slip catches from Chris Adams. Ervine looked unhappy with being given out caught off his boot and Hampshire, who closed on 131 for 5, still 146 shy of avoiding the follow-on, face an uphill battle.Leaders Warwickshire took pole position in the top-of-the-table match with Middlesex at Uxbridge, making 393 and then reducing the home side to 70 for 3. Jim Troughton missed out on a hundred when he fell leg before to Tim Murtagh in the fifth over, and when Ian Salibury dragged a wide ball from Steve Finn into his stumps, Warwickshire were wobbling on 284 for 7. But Neil Carter (67) and Ant Botha (54) added 90 in 114 balls for the eighth wicket to thwart Middlesex’s fightback. Middlesex lost Nick Compton, who missed a straight one, and Dawid Malan, bowled off his pads, early on, and Ed Joyce should have followed by Botha spilt a slip catch. He failed to capitalise, caught behind soon after, to leave Middlesex 45 for 3.Hundreds from Jonathan Clare (129) and Graham Wagg – his 108 being his maiden century – put Derbyshire in charge against Northamptonshire at the County Ground. After a delayed start, the pair thrashed the bowling to all parts, extending their seventh-wicket partnership to 203 before Wagg was stumped off Nicky Boje, eventually declaring on 485 for 7. Rain and bad light delayed Northamptonshire’s response, and when play finally resumed Stephen Peters and Niall O’Brien steered their side to 48 for 0 before bad light intervened again, this time for good, soon after tea.Click here for John Ward’s report on the first day’s play between Worcestershire and Glamorgan at New Road.

Nottingham Forest remain interested in a deal to sign Tottenham Hotspur winger Jack Clarke, according to The Athletic. 

What’s the story?

Clarke signed for Spurs back in 2019, after catching the eye with some strong performances for Leeds United earlier in his career.

The 20-year-old made 28 appearances for the Yorkshire-based side in total, and evidently made a good impression on the London-based side.

Clarke’s time with Spurs has been a somewhat frustrating spell to date, with the winger making just three senior appearances for the Premier League side over the years.

He has spent time out on loan with both Stoke City and QPR in recent seasons, although he’s struggled to set the world alight in his temporary spells in the EFL.

But it appears as though he could be set to return to the Championship ahead of the 2021/22 league campaign, with Nottingham Forest remaining keen on an agreement with Spurs over a move Clarke this summer.

Clarke could be the ideal Knockaert replacement

Chris Hughton’s side finished 17th in the second tier standings in the 2020/21 season, and will be looking to add much-needed quality to their side at the earliest of opportunities, ahead of their season opener against Coventry City on Sunday 8th August, in what could potentially be a tricky test for the Reds.

Clarke could potentially be involved in their team for that season opener though, with the Reds remaining keen on reaching an agreement to land his signature.

Nottingham Forest could certainly benefit from adding depth to wide areas of their team as well, with Anthony Knockaert returning to Fulham, after his loan spell at the City Ground in last year’s campaign.

Therefore, strength in depth is needed in Hughton’s side, and Clarke could potentially be a safe option for the Reds ahead of the upcoming campaign, with the winger having experience of playing regularly in the Championship during the early stages of his senior career.

His loan spell with Stoke City last term was cut short through injury, and the former Leeds winger will be eager to get back to his best at the earliest of opportunities.

Clarke was once dubbed as ‘exciting’ by former Leeds United man Noel Whelan, whilst also coming in for praise from Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa.

At the age of 20, Clarke still has a point to prove to some of his doubters at this stage of his career, and if he’s given a regular spot in the starting XI with Nottingham Forest, then the Reds could potentially find themselves making a somewhat surprising challenge for a top-six finish in the Championship next term.

And, with Alex Mighten already in his ranks at Forest, Hughton could have two very exciting, young talents to work in the wide areas – a prospect that seems very tantalising ahead of the new season.

South Africa have taken the First Castle Lager/MTN Test by the scruff of the neck as the visitors collapsed from 81/1 at tea to 120/8 when bad light brought another early end to proceedings in Durban.

Keith Lane27-Dec-2002South Africa have taken the First Castle Lager/MTN Test by the scruff of the neck as the visitors collapsed from 81/1 at tea to 120/8 when bad light brought another early end to proceedings in Durban.In just 16 overs the hosts tipped the scales completely in their favour, with the pace of Makhaya Ntini and Mornantau Hayward ripping the heart out of the Pakistan top and middle order.An excellent opening partnership from Taufeeq Umar and Saleem Elahi gave Pakistan a very good start. After seeing off the new ball they gradually upped the tempo, with Umar playing some graceful straight drives.Up to tea, the South African bowlers tended to bowl too wide and too short. They lacked penetration and did not cause any real problems. The pace of the pitch seemed to favour the batsmen and with the likes of Younis Khan, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Yousuf Youhana to come South Africa’s 368 did not look to be a problem.Hayward had begun fairly ineffectively but the wicket of Umar, caught at slip for 39, injected some new live into the South African attack. The opening partnership of 77 had set the innings up for the batsmen following but they failed miserably.Khan shuffled in front of one from Shaun Pollock to be trapped leg beforefor one – 83/2. Elahi, who had batted so well, mistimed a pull from Ntini to be caught for 39 – 83/3.Inzamam, fending Ntini off the body, was caught for 18 – 107/4. Faisal Iqbal was run out by Pollock for six – 119/5. Youhana, fending Ntini off the body, was caught for 12 – 120/6.Abdur Razzaq, driving at Hayward, was caught at gully for one – 120/7, and Saqlain Mushtaq was clean bowled by Hayward without scoring – 120/8.The Test had been turned around, and Pakistan’s immediate target to avoid the follow-on is 169. With the South African bowlers looking forward to an overnight rest, there is no doubt that if Pakistan fall short, Shaun Pollock will ask them to bat again.The day had started well for Pakistan, dismissing Jacques Kallis for 105, only adding one to his overnight score when he shouldered arms and was bowled by a Mohammad Sami reverse swinger.Pollock looked comfortable enough in scoring 21 but it was Mark Boucher whoplayed a gem of an innings to reach his twelfth Test fifty, and in so doingbecame the eighth wicket-keeper to reach the milestone of 200 dismissals and2,000 Test runs. After the loss of Kallis, Boucher was mainly responsible forseeing South Africa to lunch and a final total of 386.Waqar used the four bowlers at his disposal well, with Saqlain taking 4-119 off 37 overs, Sami 3-92 off 26 overs and the captain himself 3-91 off 25. The only bowler not to get a wicket was Abdur Razzaq.For Pakistan the day ended with a nightmare that they will want to forget. Unless they sort out their technique against the short ball, they can kiss this Test and the series goodbye. To come back from this position will require a brilliant performance from one if not all of their batsmen.

Medbury School of Christchurch, have today beaten John McGlashan of Dunedin in the South Island final of the 35-over Milo Cup cricket competition

21-Nov-2002Medbury School of Christchurch, have today beaten John McGlashan of Dunedin in the South Island final of the 35-over Milo Cup cricket competition.Playing their second game in as many days, Medbury ended the game strongly to take the final seven John McGlashan wickets for 24 runs, winning the game by 14 runs.Batting first on a low, slow pitch Medbury started well and after 10 overs had reached 40/1. Sam Deans (14) and Christopher McGoldrick (22) put on a solid partnership for the second wicket and then Matthew Groom (18) combined with McGoldrick to push the score on towards 60.John McGlashan came back well with the ball, mainly thanks to an inspired spell of three wickets for one run by Ben Qau Qau. He was well supported by James Ross who took two for seven. Medbury were eventually bowled out for 105 in the 31st over.In reply, John McGlashan started well and after 16 overs were 55/3. Angus Taylor batted solidly for 22 and was well supported by Jesse Simpson who made 19. Wickets then fell regularly and John McGlashan were eventually bowled out for 91 in the 32nd over. Patrick Ryan was the pick of bowlers, who polished off the tale and ended with three for 10. Nick Rennie also bowled well at the death, picking up two for 16.Medbury coach Duncan Trafford was ecstatic with the win and commented: “Although we won the game by 14 runs it could have gone either way. Our tactic of getting runs on the board and defending a score has been successful in the past and has worked again today. The boys have worked extremely hard and will continue to do so between now and the final.”Medbury will now go on to play in the National Final to be held in Palmerston North on Thursday, December 12.