Category Uncategorized

West Ham United captain Kevin Nolan wants players and referees to show each other more respect on the pitch.

Referee Mark Clattenburg is under investigation by the Police, the FA and Chelsea following allegations made against him during their 3-2 Premier League defeat to Manchester United last weekend.

But the Hammers midfielder believes what is said on the pitch should stay on the pitch and that players and referees should shake hands after the game and move on.

Nolan told Sky Sports: “The amount of stick they get from us [the players], people shouting at them and saying things.

“We are all men and, and as long as there is no racism or things like that, then we should all be able to speak to each other like men.

“When you walk off you should shake hands. It has always been the same. It is a respect thing. I have been quite surprised with what has happened this week but you never know the full story until it comes out so we will see.”

Nolan went on to admit that it is good to have banter with referees but recognises that some people may not see it that way.

“All the referees I have come across have been great. You want them to have a bit of banter with you or give you some stick back. I certainly prefer that.

“But some people might see it as not the right thing to do.”

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

[post_link url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/chelsea/bean-concerned-about-chelseas-investigation,https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/chelsea/clattenburg-omitted-from-weekend-fixtures-as-racism-row-hits-fever-pitch,https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/chelsea/clattenburg-got-torres-decision-right-says-gallagher,https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/chelsea/chelsea-lodge-official-complaint-against-clattenburg,https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/west-ham/sam-allardyce-prepares-for-clash-with-the-champions ” target=”_blank” type=”grid”]

[ad_pod id=’tv’ align=’center’]

Top-order batter Joshua Dorne will lead West Indies at the Men’s Under-19 World Cup in Zimbabwe and Namibia in January-February 2026. Allrounder Jonathan Van Lange will be Dorne’s deputy.West Indies’ 15-member squad also includes 19-year-old batter Jewel Andrew, who has already played three ODIs and five T20Is for the senior national team.West Indies enter the Under-19 World Cup after back-to-back seven-match Youth ODI series at home against Sri Lanka and England. Dorne was the highest run-getter in both series, with van Lange the next-best from West Indies. Several others who featured in both those series, including Zachary Carter, Matthew Miller, Jakeem Pollard, Shaquan Belle and Vitel Lawes, have also been named in the World Cup squad.In ten matches spread across the Sri Lanka and England series, Pollard bagged 18 wickets at an average of 16.27. Belle picked up 15 wickets in nine games, while Lawes, who managed just a solitary wicket in three matches against England, hit back with 14 wickets at 14.92 in six games against Sri Lanka.”In assembling this group, we have aligned their development with the style of play we expect at the senior level, ensured exposure to high-quality match opportunities, and placed a strong focus on leadership, tactical awareness and individual support within their territories,” Dwain Gill, CWI’s High Performance Manager, said.At the Under-19 World Cup, West Indies have been drawn in Group D, alongside South Africa, Afghanistan and Tanzania. They start their campaign against Tanzania in Windhoek on January 15.

West Indies squad for Men’s Under-19 World Cup 2026

Joshua Dorne (capt), Jewel Andrew, Shamar Apple, Shaquan Belle, Zachary Carter, Tanez Francis, R’jai Gittens, Vitel Lawes, Micah McKenzie, Matthew Miller, Israel Morton, Jakeem Pollard, Aiden Racha, Kunal Tilokani, Jonathan Van Lange (vice-capt)

Pervez Musharraf, the PCB’s patron-in-chief, along with Nasim Ashraf, the chairman of the PCB © AFP

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has approved the amended draft of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s new constitution, according to Nasim Ashraf, the chairman of the PCB.Ashraf told the that Musharraf, PCB’s patron-in-chief, is satisfied with the changes made. “The President has given his approval to the new constitution and we are expecting a notification from his office in the next few days,” Ashraf said. “We are fully committed to implementing the new constitution and I’m confident that it will be a great development for Pakistan cricket.”Seven years have passed since the previous constitution of the PCB was suspended, following which affairs have been managed by different set-ups on an ad-hoc basis.”There were some delays due to unavoidable reasons but now everything has been sorted out,” he said. Ashraf, who took over as PCB chairman last September, had been criticised on his inability to get the new constitution implemented. “The approval of the constitution by the President has proved that the PCB had no plans to delay it,” he said. “I’ve always been a supporter of having a constitution in place and God willing we will put it in place very soon.”Ashraf said that the new constitution will help in the functioning of the board. “There will be a governing board which will have decision-making powers,” he said. “The board will help run the PCB in a more corporate and professional manner.” He indicated that the governing board would involve all stakeholders of Pakistan cricket.

Billy Doctrove has joined Darrell Hair on the umpiring sidelines © Getty Images

Billy Doctrove insists he has no problems with being omitted from the list of umpires who will officiate at the Champions Trophy in India. Doctrove, who stood alongside Darrell Hair in the forfeited final Test between England and Pakistan, was absent from the names announced by ICC.However he was quick to play down the decision and said it was something that had been decided before the outcome of the ICC hearing at The Oval last week.”It’s not a surprise to me,” Doctrove told the BBC Caribbean Service. “I was told of that decision even before I went to the ball-tampering hearing in England two weeks ago.”Doctrove was noticeably absent as the main figures in the Test controversy faced up to the media at the conclusion of the hearing. Darrell Hair answered questions for 45 minutes and admitted it was easy to believe there had been just one umpire standing in the match.Hair was subsequently withdrawn from the Champions Trophy for, according to ICC, safety and security issues although this has since been questioned by the Indian Board.No reason has been given for Doctrove’s omission from the tournament but he says he is comfortable with want happened at The Oval and has been told it has nothing to do with not featuring in India”I was informed it was not and I trust the ICC,” he added. “I was informed that not all the elite umpires would be chosen. Not everybody can be chosen for every tournament or every series.”Darrell and myself acted in accordance with the laws of the game and when we took our decision we took it honestly and to the best of out ability. We are of the opinion that the adjudicator acted in good faith and to the best of his ability when he came to his decision.”It was a fair hearing as far as I’m concerned and we have to accept the findings and move on.”

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) announced the one-day international squad for next month’s tour to South Africa, with Chris Cairns the prominent omission. According to a media release, Cairns was not selected due to issues with his fitness.John Bracewell, coach of New Zealand, said: “I have met with Chris to discuss his non-selection and what is required for him to play his way back into the side. He is focused on playing in the World Cup and will have plenty of opportunity to return to form and full match fitness over the domestic season. He will be considered for a return to international cricket later in the summer. James Franklin has been brought into the team to replace Chris. We felt we had enough batting options, but needed an additional bowling option”.Speaking on the inclusion of Jeetan Patel, Bracewell said: “Patel showed good progress in his first tour in Zimbabwe. He provides a second spin bowling option and is good in the field. He is a long-term investment and deserves to be retained for a second tour.”He added that the team would tour with 15 players as “we need an extra option to make the best use of the new substitute rules”. According to Bracewell, “Franklin, James Marshall and Patel will play out the remainder of the one-day section of the A series in Sri Lanka. Their replacements for the four-day matches will be announced tomorrow.”New Zealand ODI squad
1 Stephen Fleming (Capt) 2 Daniel Vettori (Vice Capt) 3 Andre Adams 4 Nathan Astle 5 Shane Bond 6 James Franklin 7 Hamish Marshall 8 James Marshall 9 Brendon McCullum 10 Craig McMillan 11 Kyle Mills 12 Jacob Oram 13 Jeetan Patel 14 Scott Styris 15 Lou Vincent.

Chris Read: three more summers at Trent Bridge© Getty Images

Chris Read has agreed a new three-year contract which will keep him at Trent Bridge until the end of the 2007 season.”Everyone would agree Chris is the best gloveman in the country, and his keeping this season has again been world class,” explained Mick Newell, the director of cricket. “He moved up our batting order to show the England selectors he has what it takes and he’s done that by scoring two hundreds and six half-centuries.”Read was dropped by England on the tour of the Caribbean in April, but impressed with his form for his country over the summer, scoring 807 runs at 50.43.

K Madhavan, the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) investigator during the match-fixing controversy, has challenged an arbitrator’s decision to set aside Ajay Jadeja’s five-year ban in the Madras High Court.Madhavan contends that the decision went against the weight of evidence and the law, and cites Jadeja as first respondent, the BCCI as second respondent, and three BCCI disciplinary committee members – AC Muthiah, Kamal Morarka and K Ram Prasad – as third respondents, the Press Trust of India reported.The petition also claims that Madhavan was prevented from “effectively presenting” his case and that evidence damaging to Jadeja was deleted from the record of the hearing. “It is … inexplicable that the said crucial evidence simply vanished from the records,” the petition said.The arbitrator had earlier found Madhavan’s report “biased, illegal and against the principles of natural justice” because he had not examined witnesses or offered them for cross-examination by Jadeja. Madhavan has insisted that Jadeja did not raise any requests for examination or cross-examination of witness, nor did he air any grievance of the procedure followed.

New Zealand Cricket has dropped the best of three finals system from the national one-day competition.The system had been in place for two years and last year took all three games to decide the winner after Central Districts won the last two games, away from home, to win the title.This year, the State Shield, will be played in January.Instead of starting in the immediate post-Christmas period, the Shield will start on January 2 and the final will be played on February 2. Nine round robin matches plus the semi-final and final will be telecast live by Sky Television.Between Christmas and New Year a four-day round of games for the State Championship will be played.The first-class competition will start on November 26 and it will continue with the last round ending on March 27.That will provide much-needed playing back-up in the event of injuries occurring to front-line international players during the home series against England.The pre-season five rounds of matches between the neighbouring associations in the Max competition has been replaced by a single State Max weekend at North Harbour Stadium from Friday, November 16 to Sunday, November 18. Four of the weekend’s games will be screened by Sky Television.North Harbour Stadium is one of two new venues on the roster this year. Also making its debut appearance will be the Events Centre in Queenstown where Otago will host Wellington in the first round of the State Shield. Also returning to the domestic fold will be Smallbone Park in Rotorua.The State League for women will begin on Saturday, January 13 with the final being played on February 10.

ScorecardChris Dent defied Leicestershire•Getty Images

Gloucestershire still needed 17 runs to avoid the follow-on, with two wickets remaining in their first innings, when bad light ended play early on the third day of their county championship match against Leicestershire at Grace Road.It was an impressive effort from the Leicestershire seamers, following on from a similarly determined showing from their batsmen in compiling a first innings score of over 400 on a wicket which, while slow, has also had plenty in it for the bowlers.Resuming on 22 for 0, Chris Dent and Will Tavare took the score on to 51 before Tavare, perhaps a little unfortunately, was given out caught down the leg-side by wicket-keeper Niall O’Brien off the bowling of Ben Raine.Heavy cloud made the light less than ideal, and Gareth Roderick appeared not to pick up the well-pitched up delivery from Wayne White that knocked out his leg-stump for 1. At 52-2, Gloucestershire were wobbling, but Chris Dent and Peter Handscomb steadied the visitors’ nerves with the first century partnership of the matchDent was dropped by Angus Robson at first slip off Raine on 34, a difficult chance high to the fielder’s left, but Rob Taylor, back in the side due to an injury to Charlie Shreck, and Clint McKay then picked up four wickets between them for just 30 runs to keep the Foxes in with a chance of enforcing victory.Handscomb had just gone to his 50, from 99 balls, when he pulled a short ball from Taylor straight into the hands of Rob Sayer at deep square leg, and the left-armer followed up by trapping first Dent (73 from 186 balls) and then Hamish Marshall (5) leg before wicket.McKay then induced Benny Howell to push at a delivery which swung away, and wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien held the edge. Jack Taylor got off the mark by launching off-spinner Sayer for a straight six, but after an hour’s break for bad light, when 11 overs were lost, attempted to loft McKay through the offside and was caught at cover.Raine bowled James Fuller with a well-pitched up delivery in the following over, but with five overs remaining, umpires Nick Cook and Nigel Cowley decided the light was again too poor to continue.Taylor said there was still enough in the wicket for the Foxes to go on and win the game. “There’s still a bit in it and we probably didn’t bowl as well as we should have done in the first session. The Handscomb wicket got us going, and after that we bowled pretty well. “We’re in a nice position now, and if we can get two quickly tomorrow morning we’re driving the game and in control.”Handscomb admitted he was disappointed with the manner of his dismissal. “I don’t usually play that shot, but Chris Dent’s innings was invaluable. The first 20 minutes tomorrow will shape how the game pans out.”

Everton defender Leighton Baines has stated that he does not know anything about the speculation in the media linking him with a move to Manchester United.

The Red Devils are thought to be in the market place for a left-back to provide competition to Patrice Evra, with the England man believed to be a target.

However, Baines is concentrating on staying at Goodison Park for the time being.

“I’ve been aware of what’s been said in the press but I don’t know much beyond that. It doesn’t do any harm [to be linked] but it doesn’t do any good either,” Sky Sports quote the full-back as saying.

“It’s just one of those things that tends to swing around this time of year. People put two and two together sometimes they get four and sometimes they get three or five. It gets other people more excited than those involved.”

The Toffees have been subject to tight financial constraints in recent seasons, but Baines is hopeful that David Moyes can hold onto his main stars this summer.

“Obviously over the years the manager has lost players that I am sure he would have liked to have kept hold of.

Whether the club has needed the money or whether it’s because they have received what they consider is a considerable bid for a player they have always done good business.

“The manager has done well in bringing people in at a certain amount and when they have moved on he has tended to double his money or more.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

“The club have always been quite savvy in that sense. It has never really hindered us and it’s never seen us getting any worse.

“But maybe it would be nice to see us hang on to those players and add a couple,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight