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A Jim Allenby half-century and 4 for 33 from Dean Cosker helped Glamorgan towards only their second Clydesdale Bank 40 victory of the season with a three wicket success over Sussex at Swansea

25-Jul-2010
Scorecard
A Jim Allenby half-century and 4 for 33 from Dean Cosker helped Glamorgan towards only their second Clydesdale Bank 40 victory of the season with a three wicket success over Sussex at Swansea.The defeat is a setback to Sussex’s chances of reaching the competition semi-finals and was not the best way to warm up for Monday’s Friends Provident t20 clash against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge. Sussex, who sank to their third defeat, were not helped that they were without Matthew Prior (England duty) and injured duo Luke Wright and Yasir Arafat as they were restricted to 203 for seven in their 40 overs after winning the toss.But in their chase Glamorgan, minus Mark Cosgrove, who dislocated a finger fielding, made something of a meal of their reply, not helped by some bad running between the wickets and poor shot selection. In the end the home side squeezed to their target with only four balls to spare helped to the winning line with a 60-run partnership between Mark Wallace and Ben Wright.Sussex made a decent start but Nash lost fellow opener Ed Joyce, bowled through the gate by Will Owen, and Nash also saw Joe Gatting go to a sharp stumping by wicket-keeper Mark Wallace off Cosker. Nash’s 85 from 88 balls (his 50 came off 58 balls) was the backbone of Sussex’s innings and a useful effort in the context of the rest of the innings.Sussex’s demise occurred during the batting power play when they lost four wickets for seven runs in only 13 balls. They were going along well at 159 for two in the 31st over, with a 92-run partnership between Nash and Murray Goodwin, but suddenly slumped to 166 for six only two overs later. The main damage was done by Cosker who claimed three of his four wickets in eight balls.First he had Murray Goodwin caught at backward point reverse sweeping and, after Nash was caught in the deep off Owen, Cosker struck twice in three balls taking a return catch off Michael Yardy and then bowling Andrew Hodd – the slow left armer’s 200th victim in one-day cricket.In the end Sussex did well to get over the 200-mark, which was a lot fewer than they might have hoped for in mid-innings. In reply Allenby, who reached 50 from 51 balls, gave Glamorgan more than solid start in partnerships with opener Robert Croft and Will Bragg of 33 and 74 respectively.During the Allenby-Bragg alliance slow left armer Monty Panesar went for 31 from his opening three overs. But Glamorgan’s good start was not helped that they subsided from 107 for one to 141 for five which put pressure on the lower order.Wallace and Wright took Glamorgan towards victory but were both dismissed in consecutive overs leaving Cosker to strike the winning runs from the second ball of the final over.

Ireland have made two changes to their squad for the two-match RSA series against Netherlands that begins on Monday

Cricinfo staff15-Aug-2010Ireland have made two changes to their squad for the two-match RSA series against Netherlands that begins on Monday after they comprehensively beat the same opposition in the Intercontinental Cup.Following Allan Eastwood’s successful debut in the win against Netherlands, where he took 4 for 62 in the second innings, he retained his place in the squad ahead of Craig Young who hasn’t recovered from a side strain. Elsewhere Andrew Poynter returns to the squad following the shoulder injury he picked up in the final of the World Cricket League last month in place of James Hall who will instead play for Ireland A in a three-day game against Hampshire which begins on Wednesday at the Rose Bowl.Ireland Squad: Trent Johnston (capt), Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Andrew Poynter, John Mooney, Kevin O’Brien, Paul Stirling, Albert van der Merwe, Andrew White, Gary Wilson (wk), Allan Eastwood, Nigel Jones.

Writing on his Patreon profile, reliable club insider ExWHUemployee has made a West Ham United transfer claim involving Marseille defender Duje Caleta-Car.

The Lowdown: Hammers have bid rejected…

According to reports, amid David Moyes’ last-gasp attempts to sign a new centre-back this month, the Irons have actually had an offer rejected for the Croatia international.

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Indeed, The Scottish Daily Mail’s print edition (page 75, via West Ham Zone) claim that the east Londoners tabled a loan bid for Caleta-Car which was swiftly turned down as Marseille apparently demand a permanent deal.

He is a familiar name to plenty of Hammers fans as their club had actually ‘agreed’ a fee to sign him in 2020 (Mike McGrath), but the move eventually fell through.

Alas, it appears they aren’t quite done in their efforts to bring the defender to London, with ExWHUemployee now sharing some news.

The Latest: Ex makes Caleta-Car claim…

Writing on Patreon, the club source claimed that ‘talks will also happen’ with Marseille in this last week of the trabsfer window to see if a possible ‘compromise’ can be reached as Moyes chases an agreement.

Ex reiterated that West Ham, and by extension recruitment chief Rob Newman, would ‘like to initially loan’ Caleta-Car, considering that he is unproven in the Premier League.

Marseille do not want to agree a temporary transfer but that apparently won’t stop the Irons in their attempts to see if there is a middle ground.

The Verdict: Interesting final week…

West Ham are arguably in dire need of a world-class central defender and backup striker to Michail Antonio, with Moyes running out of time to bolster either one of these positions.

Amassing 20 caps with Croatia at international level, Caleta-Car could prove to be a shrewd addition if West Ham can reach a compromise with his current club.

The 6 foot 3 powerhouse, who was called ‘quality’ by his defensive partner Alvaro Gonzalez (Ligue 1), could apparently cost up to £20m on an outright permanent deal (talkSPORT) – arguably a small price to pay for a player still fairly young and solid on the big stage.

Over Caleta-Car’s Europa League outings this season, only Kurt Zouma has averaged more interceptions per match (three) than the Ligue 1 ace (1.7) when compared to West Ham’s current squad (WhoScored). Furthermore, he has managed a consistent two clearances per 90, with only Zouma and Ben Johnson making more among Moyes’ squad (WhoScored).

With the clock ticking down quickly on this transfer window, we urge Newman and co to step up their pursuit and back Moyes ahead of a tricky final run of 2021/22.

In other news: ExWHUemployee also says West Ham are eyeing a last minute move for this ‘battle-hardened’ £20m attacker, find out more here.

Chennai have the bragging rights after winning this year’s IPL, but Bangalore can have something to boast about if they upstage MS Dhoni’s men on Friday

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran23-Sep-2010Match factsFriday, September 24
Start time 1730 (1530 GMT)Michael Hussey and M Vijay have given Chennai two solid starts in two matches•AFPBig PictureThe Champions League Twenty20 may not have the massive following that its more glamorous sibling, the IPL, has but it is clear the players consider it an important tournament. Several incidents highlighted how desperate they are to win it: the dejection on Virat Kohli’s face as he sat on his haunches mid-pitch in Durban after a revelatory innings which nearly pulled off a heist against Mumbai Indians; and the ever-smiling Muttiah Muralitharan’s broadside at S Badrinath for a less-than-perfect piece of fielding when Warriors were threatening to dump Chennai Super Kings out of the competition.Perhaps the people happiest with the results over the two days will be the organisers, with two of the IPL teams making it through to the semi-finals and one of them guaranteed a place in the final, ensuring a higher number of eye-balls than if non-Indian teams had qualified.Chennai have the bragging rights after winning this year’s IPL, but Royal Challengers Bangalore can have something to boast about if they upstage MS Dhoni’s men on Friday. The two sides have already met in the semi-final of a tournament in South Africa – in the 2009 IPL, when Bangalore eased to a six-wicket victory.Both have had stop-start league phases, but they will take heart from the fact that their best seasons in the IPL also came after campaigns that started off poorly. Both possess formidable batting line-ups, and their main difference lies in the nature of their bowling attack – Chennai have plenty of spinners, while Bangalore rely heavily on quick bowlers.The two sides also missed key South African allrounders in their final league matches – Jacques Kallis is out of the tournament with a neck injury, while Albie Morkel has been out for two matches due to an illness. Kallis’ absence has upset Bangalore’s balance, and Chennai will have even more of an advantage if Morkel recovers from his illness in time.The overall head-to-head record – Bangalore winning four to Chennai’s three – shows how competitive the rivalry between the two sides has been. Friday’s semi-final promises to live up to that.Team newsChennai packed their bowling with spinners for their match against Warriors in Port Elizabeth, but that strategy might not work in Durban where the track has been less helpful for the slow bowlers. That means they might consider picking one of either L Balaji or Joginder Sharma in place of Shadab Jakati.Chennai Super Kings (probable): 1 M Vijay, 2 Michael Hussey, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 S Badrinath, 5 MS Dhoni (capt. & wk), 6 S Anirudha, 7 Albie Morkel / Justin Kemp, 8 Doug Bollinger, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 L Balaji/ Joginder Sharma.Bangalore are unlikely to make too many changes to their line-up that beat Lions on Tuesday. That they have only one recognised spinner in Anil Kumble is a drawback. They do have Cameron White in the line-up, who once played as a specialist Test legspinner, but he has bowled only one over in Twenty20s in his previous 37 matches.Royal Challengers Bangalore: (probable) 1 Manish Pandey, 2 Rahul Dravid, 3 Robin Uthappa (wk), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Cameron White, 6 Virat Kohli, 7 Dillon du Preez, 8 Praveen Kumar, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Anil Kumble (capt), 11 R Vinay KumarWatch out for …Ross Taylor was a part of three teams which qualified for the Champions League, but he hasn’t yet shown the form that has made him such a coveted Twenty20 player. The semi-final presents a chance for the world’s leading six-hitter in Twenty20s to make the impact expected of him.Another big-name player who has had a quiet tournament so far is Dhoni. A late onslaught against Warriors showed glimpses of what he is capable of, but Chennai will be hoping for more from their captain on Friday.Key contestsMurali v Bangalore middle-order The constricting spin of Murali, bowling from around the stumps and choking the batsman for room, has been effective all tournament. Bangalore, though, possess a bunch of lethal hitters in the middle-order who could prove hard to contain.Kumars v Chennai openers M Vijay and Michael Hussey have provided Chennai with solid starts in both the matches they have opened together, giving the likes of Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni the license to go for the big hits. Vinay Kumar and Praveen Kumar could face a stern test.Quotes”Your plans have to be very fluid in this format.”
“The spinners have done the job for us so far. Hopefully, on the Durban pitch, the fast bowlers will do well for the team.”
MS Dhoni

Everton have been dealt a potentially huge setback in their bid to secure a deal to bring Dele Alli to Goodison Park before tonight’s transfer deadline.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a claim made by David Ornstein, who revealed in a recent post on Twitter that, despite the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder’s switch to Everton entering the final stages, Newcastle United have made a late bid for the 25-year-old, something which throws significant doubt on the former England international’s proposed move to the Toffees.

In his tweet, The Athletic journalist said: “Newcastle make dramatic late attempt to pip Everton to Dele Alli signing after losing out on Lingard. NUFC have enquired to take Dele on loan just as permanent Everton move enters final stages. Unclear if it will succeed.”

Lampard will be fuming

With Frank Lampard’s move for Dele very much looking as if it was all but completed, with Sky Sports reporting that the midfielder looked set to link up with the Toffees in a £40m move, the fact that mega-rich Newcastle have now entered the race for the 25-year-old is sure to have left Lampard fuming.

Indeed, while it remains to be seen as to whether the Magpies’ offer will be accepted by Spurs, should Eddie Howe’s side’s proposal include an option to buy the midfielder, Dele’s head may well be turned by the potential of being offered a huge salary by the Saudi Arabian funded club.

However, at present, it looks as if Everton are still in the driving seat for the former MK Dons star’s signature, although, stranger things have happened in the closing stages of the January transfer window – an idea that will undoubtedly be causing both Lampard and the Goodison Park faithful a great deal of stress.

In other news: Lampard can form frightening trio as Everton plot late offer for £52.4m “goal-getter”

Graeme Swann became England’s first injury scare of their tour of Australia when he was struck on the thumb while batting in the nets during the squad’s first training session at the WACA on Monday

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-2010Graeme Swann became England’s first injury scare of their tour of Australia when he was struck on the thumb while batting in the nets during the squad’s first training session at the WACA on Monday. However, the extent of the damage was quickly played down by his team-mate Stuart Broad, as England set their sights on their opening first-class warm-up match against Western Australia on Friday.Swann is currently the highest-ranked spin bowler in the world, and is widely considered to be England’s key weapon going into the Ashes. So there was understandable concern when he was struck on the thumb by a rising delivery from Tim Bresnan. He received ice treatment and strapping, but his upbeat body language suggested that no long-term damage had been inflicted.”He’s fine. It’s just a bit of precautionary strapping,” Broad told reporters after the session. “I don’t think he’s in any trouble at all. He just got a bit of a blow, which you’re used to in nets. I think he’s pleased his thumb got him out of the running.””Thanks to both of you who enquired about my thumb,” Swann later wrote on his Twitter feed. “It’s fine, I just like my boiled eggs runny.”Swann was nevertheless the third member of England’s bowling contingent to suffer an injury worry, following the rib injuries sustained by James Anderson and Chris Tremlett during the pre-series bonding session in Bavaria last month. Anderson, however, took part in the nets session without any obvious discomfort, although having been diagnosed with a fracture, he may not be risked until England’s subsequent practice matches at Adelaide and Hobart later this month.England’s preparations took place against the backdrop of two intriguing contests – firstly at the WACA, where Australia were brushed aside by seven wickets by Sri Lanka in a Twenty20 international on Sunday night, and secondly on a greentop at the Gabba in Brisbane, the venue for the first Ashes Test on November 25, where the home side, Queensland, failed to pass 100 in either of their two innings against New South Wales.Commenting on Australia’s setback, however, Broad insisted that England would not be reading anything into the result. “It’s a completely different format of the game, and I think there are only two or three players who were involved last night and look in the frame for the first Ashes Test match,” he said. “So there’s certainly nothing we can take from last night as an England team.”

West Ham United defender Vladimir Coufal remains an injury doubt for the Hammers’ upcoming Premier League fixture.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a report by Claret & Hugh, who claim that, after missing the 1-1 draw with Newcastle United last weekend as a result of a recurring groin injury, the right-back is 50/50 for the visit of Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday afternoon.

Speaking about the current condition of the 29-year-old, the West Ham insider said: “Vladimir Coufal remains 50/50 for the game after reporting a flare-up of his groin injury and should he be unavailable then it’s likely Ben Johnson will be the replacement following a poor first half from Ryan Fredericks against Newcastle United on Saturday.”

Moyes will be sweating

With Ryan Fredericks indeed enduring a torrid afternoon against the Magpies last time out – as Claret & Hugh suggest – with the defender being withdrawn at half-time in the stalemate, the fact that Coufal remains a doubt for this weekend’s fixture is sure to have left David Moyes sweating.

Indeed, while the £10.8m-rated Czech Republic international has seen his form tail off in recent weeks, the right-back has nevertheless been a steady option on the right of Moyes’ backline over his 22 Premier League appearances this season, registering three assists, creating four big chances and helping his side keep four clean sheets, as well as making an average of 0.9 interceptions, 1.7 tackles, 0.8 key passes, two clearances and winning 4.1 duels per game.

These returns have seen the £27k-per-week defender average a SofaScore match rating of 6.81, ranking him as the Hammers’ 14th-best performer in the top flight of English football.

As such, should Coufal indeed be ruled out of Sunday’s fixture it would undoubtedly come as a huge blow to Moyes and his side – especially with the Irons in rather desperate need of a win if they are to keep their top-four hopes alive.

In other news: Moyes can unearth the next Noble by unleashing 21 y/o WHU “talent” who’s “everywhere”

It was always likely that South Africa would dominate this series, but Zimbabwe’s plucky performances with the bat in the Twenty20s and first two ODIs meant the scale of their crushing defeat in Benoni was unexpected

Liam Brickhill in Benoni22-Oct-2010It was always likely that South Africa would dominate this series, but Zimbabwe’s plucky performances with the bat in the Twenty20s and first two ODIs meant the scale of their crushing defeat in Benoni was unexpected. The hosts started the tour in slightly laboured fashion, their bowling and fielding well below their usual standards, but in the final game all three departments clicked and they duly ran to a record-breaking 272-run win.”Tonight was a good night,” said South African captain Graeme Smith. “It can be hard to maintain intensity when you’ve got 400 on the board and you clean them up cheaply, but I was happy with the intensity we showed. When you’ve got 400 it’s really easy to drift but the bowlers really set their own standards tonight, which was encouraging.”We’ve had a few issues in this series on the bowling front, but there were a lot of positives that came out at the end,” added Smith. “I think we’ve set up a good base despite there being a couple of changes that lie ahead. There’s good confidence around the group in terms of performances, and it doesn’t really matter who you play, your confidence is always the key in sport.”South Africa have been forced to experiment in this series in the absence of senior players such as Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. While their rookie batsmen, Colin Ingram and David Miller, have slotted into the side seamlessly, the back-up bowling pack initially fired in fits and starts. But Rusty Theron eventually finished as the leading wicket-taker in his debut series and Wayne Parnell also improved with each outing.”I think it’s great,” Smith said of their performances. “You want to see these guys coming in and performing well. Initially there was a question about the back-up bowling unit, and we had a lot of young batters coming through. It’s never going to be easy replacing Steyn and Morkel, but it’s nice to see guys like Rusty and some of the other guys coming in and impressing.”South Africa’s Man of the Series, AB de Villiers helped himself to 231 runs in three innings, including two consecutive hundreds in Potchefstroom and Benoni. With Mark Boucher not picked for this series de Villiers also shouldered the burden of keeping wicket, taking six catches. He credited a break from the game since South Africa’s tour of the West Indies concluded in June for his energetic start to the season.”I think the break was very good for me, just getting the mind off cricket for a while,” he said. “Especially after last season, which was a very long season that was a little bit of an up and down season and quite tough mentally. So getting away from the game totally for two months was really good, and I’ve come back really refreshed and energised.”

Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah is considering an offer from Crystal Palace, according to The Times.

The Lowdown: January offers

The Eagles were after Nketiah’s services during the January window and made two bids for the striker.

However, as we know, the 22-year-old remained at the Emirates and has continued to play second fiddle to Alexandre Lacazette in recent months.

Nketiah has been handed rare starts in the Gunners’ last two Premier League fixtures due to Lacazette’s absence and scored twice in a 4-2 win over Chelsea on Wednesday.

The Latest: Palace offer

The forward is out of contract in a matter of months, and according to The Times, is now considering offers from Palace and Borussia Monchengladbach.

Arsenal haven’t given up hope of Nketiah signing a new deal, but the striker knows that Mikel Arteta is planning on bringing in at least one forward in the summer.

The Verdict: Shrewd move

Nketiah, who Arteta labelled as ‘extraordinary’, showed his quality in front of goal in the week, and still just 22 years of age, a free transfer to Selhurst Park could be an inspired piece of business from Patrick Vieira, Steve Parish and Dougie Freedman.

He has contributed to eight goals in just 784 minutes of action this season and can play anywhere across a front three, so clearly has ability and versatility which could prove useful if afforded more opportunities.

Reports in recent months have claimed that Christian Benteke could be on the way out this summer, so Nketiah may well be the perfect replacement for the Belgian in Vieira’s exciting young side.

In other news: Freedman now stepping up Palace move for ‘phenomenal’ left-footed star.

British Eurosport has secured the UK rights to the Test series between Sri Lanka and West Indies which gets underway on Monday, November 15

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-2010British Eurosport has secured the UK rights to the Test series between Sri Lanka and West Indies which gets underway on Monday, November 15.In a deal with Zee Network Europe, British Eurosport will have live coverage of the three-Test series as well as five one-day internationals and a one-off Twenty20 match throughout November and December.The West Indies Tour of Sri Lanka follows the channel’s broadcast of the ongoing series between Pakistan and South Africa which saw Test cricket make its debut on Eurosport Television in the UK.The first Test starts on November 15 in Galle, with Colombo the venue for the second Test later this month from Tuesday, November 23. The third and final Test takes place in Kandy from Wednesday, December 1. Matches begin at 4.30am GMT.West Indies, led by newly appointed captain Darren Sammy, will aim to bounce back from their disappointing Test series against South Africa earlier this year while the Sri Lankans will be confident following their recent ODI series win in Australia. West Indies last played a Test series in Sri Lanka in 2005, losing it 0-2.Managing Director of Eurosport in the UK, David Kerr said: “Cricket is proving to be a real hit on British Eurosport and we are delighted to be able to offer our viewers yet another excellent international series in 2010. In addition, we hope it will bring new sports fans to the channel at the end of what has already been record year for our ratings in the UK.”Govind Shahi, Head of Business, Zee Network Europe, added, “I am delighted with British Eurosport and Zee’s on-going association and am confident that the coming cricket series will be pivotal in further popularising the appeal of cricket in the UK.”