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It was sweet revenge for Chemplast who trounced India Pistons by sevenwickets in the final of the Moin ud Dowlah Cup in Hyderabad today. Amammoth undefeated stand of 217 between Jatin Paranjpe and SujithSomasundar helped Chemplast make light of a target of 281 to canterhome with almost seven overs to spare in what finally transpired to bea ridiculously one-sided affair.JR Madanagopal added another sorry episode to his past with anotherfateful dropped catch to let off another Mumbaikar. A dolly miss atlong off from the bowling of Robin Singh relieved Paranjpe, then on 63out of a total of 177, who had already turned towards the pavilion, inall preparedness to walk off. Robin fumed, Madanagopal squirmed butChemplast just laughed all the way to the bank.It was not all hunky-dory for the victors in the morning after theleft-handed Hemanth Kumar pillaged a bustling century to lift Pistonsto an imposing 280/9. Yet to play in a first class match, Hemanthsurely on the evidence of his showing here, is just weeks away frombeing blooded by Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy this season.The match started on the hallowed lawns of the Gymkhana Ground onwhose precincts the first edition of the Moin ud Dowlah Cup had kickedoff in the season of 1930-31. In that year such exalted personages asJack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe opened the batting for theMaharajkumar of Vizianagaram’s XI and a few years later the WestIndian Learie Constantine gave a well rounded account of his multipletalents.Just outside the main entrance there is a plaque which pompouslyannounces the structure beyond as the Hyderabad Cricket AssociationStadium. Well, stadium it may not be but the ground still retains apicturesque charm, surrounded on three sides by wide open spaces suchas the Parade Ground, the Polo Ground and a Hockey Ground, and thepanoramic view from what masquerades as a press box is a real steal.From 70/3, Hemanth and Madanagopal added 65 for the fourth wicket,the two looking in control and firmly milking the singles with fivemen stationed on the boundary. Then Madanagopal played a foolhardyshot against the grain of play, lofting the ball in the air knowingfull well there was a fielder at sweeper cover. Robin walked in at135/4 and was warned for running onto the wicket almost immediately.He put that behind him and added a brisk 110 for the fifth wicket withHemanth. The latter grew more innovative in his stroke play in Robin’sreassuring company, stepping two inches outside off stump andpersuading the ball away on the leg side on more than one occasion.All hell broke loose in the 44th over bowled by Dinesh Mongia, whichwent for 20 runs including two sixes over midwicket, Hemanth movingfrom 90 to 110 in the space of five balls. Soon after, Robin holed outfor 44 (51 balls, 2 fours) to deep midwicket just after beingcautioned a second time for trespassing onto the pitch. The score atthat point was 245 but Hemanth coaxed another 30 runs in the companyof the tail, audaciously running byes more than once when the ball hadbeen collected by the keeper. When he was run out from the last ballof the innings, he had accumulated an effortless 134 (126 balls, 10fours, 2 sixes). Veeranan had the best figures among some badly mauledanalysis, taking 2/34 from seven overs, but Ganesh Kumar had done afine job too, bowling ten overs on the trot in the middle overs for ameasly 37, without taking a wicket.Having beaten Chemplast by eight wickets in the final of the KSCADiamond Jubilee tournament a few weeks ago, Pistons must haveexperienced a feeling of deja vu at this point. Sujit Somasundar andGanesh Kumar kept them on their toes with some fairly frenetic runningas the 50 came up in 40 minutes inside eight overs. Ganesh Kumar wasthe more adventurous of the two, once picking Shahabuddin overmidwicket for six.In the 11th over, Shahabuddin, who plays his cricket for Andhra in theRanji Trophy, had Ganesh caught behind by the keeper Vasudevan. Andthree runs later, in his next over, the disappointing Badrinath wasconsumed by first slip. Dinesh Mongia walked in with a weight ofresponsibility on his shoulders. Flailing wildly at one outside offstump, he was snapped up by Vasudevan for a fourth ball duck tocomplete a double wicket maiden for Shahabuddin, who had scalped threewickets in eight balls at this stage. Mongia’s fall must have sentpanic waves through the Chemplast dressing room and at 67/3, Pistonswould have been licking their lips in anticipation of the kill, whichhad been well fattened up.They had reckoned without one Jatin Paranjpe. He signalled hisintentions immediately by picking on R Satish, who had replacedShahabuddin from the Plaza end, for three boundaries in his firstover. Railways leg spinner WD Balaji Rao was generating good nip andbounce off the wicket with an action that exuded vitality but hecontrived to floor a return catch offered by Paranjpe with the batsmanon 44. To be sure, the ball was fiercely driven back at him and Raocould not close his fingers around the ball in a one-handed parry.To add injury to insult, he went off the field to receive treatment onhis finger. Then followed the kindergarten miss by Madanagopal and afrustrated Robin bowled a rank bouncer off the last ball of the over,promptly called no ball. Indeed the bowling and fielding completelywent to pieces in the end, with wides, no balls, byes, even a beamerfrom Shahabudin, and fumbles in the field abounding.Just outside the ground a group of 64 city probables were limbering upfor their forthcoming Under 19 tournament and Paranjpe scattered themwith two clean hits over midwicket that landed in their midst, almostdecapitating one unfortunate lad. He hit 21 off the over, the 36th, byMuthupandian and brought up his 100 off 81 balls with his fifth six,also in the same trademark fashion, this time off Balaji Rao.If Somasundar has been ignored for much of this chronicle, theoversight can be rectified here and now. Having accumulated his runswith stealth, Somasundar finally abandoned such a covert, eveninsidious, manner of run making for some more unabashed hitting. WhenRao tossed one up, he obligingly hit him over wide long off to enterthe nineties. Robin finally invited Hemanth for a bowl in a gesture ofsurrender. He bowled a short one that sat up and beseeched to be hit,Somasundar carted it way out of the ground to end the mismatch of acontest and take his individual score to 97 (129 balls, 9 fours and 3sixes). For his part Paranjpe had settled at a personal tally of 115(91 balls, 10 fours and 6 sixes).That brought down the curtain on a curious tournament in which neitherlast year’s winner MRF, nor runner-up, ONGC took part. The Moin udDowlah Cup was presented to Chemlpast captain D Vasu who promptlyraised it over his head with a violent gesture, only to watch inembarrassment as the cup rolled off its pedestal and plummeted to theground. But that was a minor and easily forgiven blemish in what wasotherwise a moment to savour for him and the entire Chemplast team.

	Suriname and Troy Dudnauth celebrate another Bahamas wicket © Cricinfo

Suriname provided a major upset on the final day of the ICC Americas Division 2 Championship, not only beating odds-on favourites Bahamas, but doing so so convincingly that they leapfrogged them to the title and promotion to Division One.On the eve of the match, we wrote that “Suriname will need an extraordinarily comprehensive win to have any chance of overtaking the Bahamas”, and that’s just what happened. Needing only 83 to avoid being pipped to the title on net run rate even had they lost, Bahamas were utterly woeful as they crashed to 57 all out and a thumping 146-run defeat.Suriname did well to post 205, but on a good batting track it looked a below-par total. Shazam Ramjohn made 48 off 48 balls, but nobody else really dominated the attack. Bahamas’ reply was bemusing in its incompetence, with no batsman managing to reach double figures. Troy Dudnauth (5 for 21) and Carlton Baker (3 for 27) bowled unchanged for 20 overs, and by the time they finished their quota of overs the same was done and dusted.In the other game, Panama, who also finished level on points with Suriname and Bahamas, eased past Turks & Caicos Islands by 95 runs. In reply to Panama’s 188 all out, Turks & Caicos only managed 93. Panama’s Munaf Kachalia took the Man-of-the-Match award with 4 for 19, while Irfan Tarajia chipped in with 3 for 33 and 31 off 42 balls.

Team	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Pts	Net RR	For	Against
Suriname	3	2	1	0	0	8	+1.513	674/150.0	447/150.0
Bahamas	3	2	1	0	0	8	+1.023	302/75.5	438/148.0
Panama	3	2	1	0	0	8	-0.055	593/150.0	473/118.0
Turks and C.	3	0	3	0	0	0	-2.734	309/148.0	520/107.5

Rumblings over the standard of cricket in the Logan Cup continued to grow at the end of the third round of the competition which saw more low scores and underprepared pitches.Westerns underlined their title ambitions with their third straight win, crushing a dire Northerns side by an innings and 71 runs. Westerns made 244, and then bowled out Northerns for 47, with Keith Dabengwa turning in a remarkable spell of 7 for 1. Following on, Northerns limped to 126. The failure of Northerns, who are largely the once-powerful Masonaland side, is a damning indictment of a hard-line selection policy which has driven away many players.At Mutare, Kenya Select went down to their second straight defeat, losing by seven wickets to Easterns, who now seem to provide the only challenge to Westerns. Easterns made 382, built around a hundred from F Mutizwa, and then bowled out the Kenyans for 199, with only Maurice Ouma’s 116 offering any resistance. Timycen Maruma was the pick of the bowler with 6 for 40. Following on, the visitors made 332, with David Obuya’s hundred the anchor innings, while Prosper Utseya grabbed 6 for 91. Set 140 to win, Easterns had few problems, Tino Mawoyo making his second fifty of the match.At Kwekwe, Centrals scored their second successive win with a 102-run victory over Southerns inside two days. As was the case last week, the pitch was not up to scratch – no batsman made an aggregate of 50 runs in the match – and despite being bowled out for 141, Centrals took a first-innings lead of 90. Set 271 to win, Southerns slid to 86 for 5 before some late resistance enabled them to post a respectable score. Michael Chinouya took 5 for 31 to give him seven wickets overall.To the shame of Zimbabwe Cricket, it continues to be unwilling, or more likely incapable, of proving scores to the media, thus ensuring that the tournament is played in virtual secrecy.

29Dec

Wet conditions force abandonment

by csb10.top Uncategorized

<br Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Logan Cup

	P	W	D	L	Pts
Westerns	3	3	0	0	30
Easterns	3	2	1	0	25
Centrals	3	2	0	1	20
Northerns	3	0	1	2	5
Southerns	2	0	0	2	0
Kenya Select	2	0	0	2	0

Lightning and thunderstroms struck Chittagong forcing the second day’s play to be abandoned © Getty Images

Thunder, lightening and a sharp shower brought an abrupt end to the Australian charge to take control of the second Test. Only 22.4 overs were possible on the second day, during which Australia managed to close in on the meagre Bangladesh first-innings total losing only one more wicket.Phil Jaques, was the only man to fall, but not before he had reached his maiden Test fifty. Singled out by Steve Waugh as one of Australia’s next-generation cricketers, he batted with Waugh-like purposefulnessJason Gillespie, the night-watchman, combined dour defence with occasional bursts for fours and Ricky Ponting merely carried on from his last innings before weather intervened.Though the sky cleared up for a while in the afternoon, the umpires found the outfield unfit for play. The match will now start half an hour early for the next days to partially make up for the seven hours that were lost today.Bangladesh appeared to go through the motions in the morning, confirming apprehensions they were treating this match as a lost cause. Only Shahadat Hussain looked threatening in a brief spell, during which he hit Jaques on the body and knocked out Gillespie’s bat.Once again, it fell on Mohammad Rafique to provide Bangladesh the breakthrough. He threw one up outside the off stump and Jaques, perhaps just to break the monotony of the day, went for a slog sweep but ended up top-edging to square leg. But so far, rains have provided the only comfort to Bangladesh.

How they were out

Australia
Phil Jaques c Shahriar Nafees b Mohammad Rafique 66 (120 for 2)

2nd day
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKwaZulu-Natal completely outplayed Easterns at Willowmoore Park, nearlywinning inside two days. Was it not for an excellent 136, out of a total of 230 from Pierre de Bruin, Easterns would have been humiliated in their own backyard. In front of a total of seven spectators, maybe because the main public entrance was locked throughout the whole day, de Bruin’s lonely hand took the Natal attack by the scruff of the neck and pasted the ball to all parts of the ground. Seven towering sixes had outfielders craning their necks as they tracked the ball. Earlier Rivash Gobind, the Natal captain, had scored his debut first-class hundred, allowing Natal to declare at 300 for 7 after 85 overs when the bonus points stopped. Shiraaz Abrahams picked up three late wickets to make an impressive debut into first-class cricket. Natal need a further 63 runs when play resumes on day three.2nd day
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsCareer-best figures of 6-90 from Gerhard de Bruin helped Gauteng beat Northerns, who made a valiant attempt at saving the game at Wanderers. Being bowled out for 147, a deficit of 212 runs in the first innings was their undoing, but fifties from Kruger van Wyk, Nic van Woerkom, Gerald Dros and James Mokonyama nearly saw them attain the impossible. However, it was de Bruin who wrapped up the tail, leaving Gauteng ample time to score the 137 required with William Motaung undefeated at the end on 57.

Glenn McGrath: came through his first test unscathed © Getty Images

Glenn McGrath has hit back at critics who have been keen to write him off as a player, claiming that he was fitter and stronger than ever after his enforced seven-month lay-off after an ankle operation.He returned yesterday in New South Wales’s 2nd XI match against Victoria at the MCG, taking 2 for 26 in 14.2 overs in front of 23 people. It was a stark contrast to Shane Warne’s much-publicised second-team comeback a fortnight ago.”I’ve been training harder than I ever have off the field, in the gym, on fitness so my strength and fitness has been a lot higher than in the past," McGrath told the Sydney Morning Herald. "I can only see positives out of this, and I think this or what I’ve had done over the last seven months will actually lengthen my career if anything.”Several former players – most recently Merv Hughes – have been quoted as saying that McGrath was as good as finished as a result of the injury. But McGrath himself was keen to dismiss such thoughts. “You see bad press saying, ‘He’s finished’, and they haven’t really spoken to me or seen what I’m doing,” he said. “I think it’s a bit early to be making a decision like that.He also rubbished articles claiming that he had made several aborted attempts in recent weeks to play, insisting that last weekend’s grade comeback was his first serious attempt to take to the field. “They basically just made it up," he explained. "There’s a lot of people out there reading it, and it’s so far from the truth it’s not funny."McGrath maintained that while some injuries are career-threatening, his was not. “I don’t look at it as an injury," he said. "I’ve had the spurs which caused all the problems removed. And the way the ankle feels, at the moment, it’s as good as it’s felt for years. It’s not going to be a recurring injury. It’s been totally fixed and each bowl I have it’ll get better and stronger.”McGrath’s aim is to make the Australian squad for the tour of Zimbabwe in May, and he was not too upset about missing out on the Sri Lanka series. "I look at the positive side of things and it means I could get a lot stronger, a lot fitter and finish the season off with NSW and hopefully be right for the Zimbabwe tour. So that’s my goal at the moment."And what of suggestions that at 34 he had lost some of his enthusiasm? McGrath smiled. “I think if anything, I’m fresher, keener, and looking forward to playing.”

JOHANNESBURG – The West Indies’ serious World Cup intentions were made plain last night when they maintained the same XI they used in the triumphant opener against second favourites South Africa for today’s match in Centurion against the weekend club cricketers of Canada, the bottom seed among the 14 teams.The recall of Pedro Collins, the left-arm swing and seam bowler who missed the last two matches with a back injury, is the only change from the team in last Tuesday’s abandoned match against Bangladesh from which they had to share the four points.Nixon McLean filled Collins’ place in the loss to New Zealand and Corey Collymore got the preference against Bangladesh but didn’t bowl a ball before rain ended proceedings.It means that the two youngest members of the team, batsman Marlon Samuels, 21, and fast bowler Jermaine Lawson, 20, are yet to get a match – and are unlikely to get one barring injury."We’re not in a position where we can say we have qualified for the Super Sixes," coach Roger Harper said by way of a straight-forward explanation. "We’re still fighting to qualify."And he indicated that there would be no shifting of the order in which four left-handers – Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Brian Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul – fill the first four places."If we happened to have four right-handers at the top we might not have seen it as a problem," he said."While I appreciate it’s a benefit to have a left and right combination that makes it more difficult for the bowlers, you have to look at the batsmen you have as well."The implication was that the system has worked so far with right-handers Ramnaresh Sarwan and Ricardo Powell, down at Nos. 6 and 7, contributing important runs.Following the artificially shared points against Bangladesh, the West Indies must win their three remaining preliminary group matches – against Canada, Sri Lanka in Cape Town next Friday and Kenya in Kimberey, March 4 – to clinch their place in their Super Sixes.The table is so tight that every match is critical for every team.Sri Lanka are the only ones with a 100 per cent record and 12 points from three matches. Only defeat in all of their remaining three, against Kenya, the West Indies and South Africa, can deny them their spot among the final three.New Zealand, who forfeited their points to Kenya because they refused to go to Nairobi for the scheduled match, have eight points from four matches with only Canada and Bangladesh left.With the New Zealand donation and a win over Canada, Kenya have eight points from three matches but still have Sri Lanka and the West Indies, along with Bangladesh.South Africa, virtually out of contention following losses to the West Indies and New Zealand, were handed a reprieve by the West Indies’ misfortune with the weather against Bangladesh.They took their first step towards the next round with their comprehensive ten wickets victory over Bangladesh in Blomfontein yesterday but must still beat both Canada, a foregone conclusion but for the intervention of the elements, and Sri Lanka, an altogether more difficult task, to be sure.The weather remained true to the forecast throughout yesterday – hot and sunny – and more of the same is predicted for today. But the West Indies won’t be satisfied until victory and four points are safely in the book.

The triangular tournament involving hosts Zimbabwe and tourists India and West Indies starts on Saturday, and it is as unpredictable a tournament as one is likely to find. Three unpredictable teams are taking part, and each one has its morale-sapping burdens to carry and overcome.Zimbabwe, fresh from their series-levelling Test victory over India, have been rocked by the news that their star batsman and wicket-keeper Andy Flower has withdrawn from the side, not only for the tournament but also for the series against West Indies. He injured a thumb during the Second Test and his hand will be in plaster for some time. These will be the first international matches that Flower will have missed since he made his debut in the World Cup of 1991/92. It is the end of a proud record.His withdrawal is likely to affect the morale of the other players who have always looked to him as the backbone of the team. However, some might just take the opportunity to rise to the occasion and lift their game to take responsibility for the loss of their world-class player.India have had to endure much harsh criticism for failing to win the series against Zimbabwe, as indeed they should have done. Their disappointment will be bitter, and they too will need to drag themselves up by their bootstraps and revive their damaged morale.For West Indies, their burden, apart from the retirement of Courtney Walsh, is the administrative upheaval that resulted in manager Ricky Skerritt being sacked and then reinstated, not to mention the recent resignation of the leading members of their Board of Control back home. This will surely have some effect on the players as it will affect their futures. Their coach at least will be under some pressure. They also have the disadvantage of having to adjust to local conditions in quick time.West Indies, according to Skerritt, consider themselves the underdogs for the tournament, and on paper that is probably correct. Zimbabwe and India both showed in their Test series that they have very good pace attacks, accurate and penetrative. For the first time now, the West Indies will have to play without a single one of their great pacemen of the last 20 years and more. Walsh is no longer around to hold their attack together, and the young and comparatively inexperienced pacemen will need to take on the extra responsibility to atone for his retirement.The West Indies’ wild card, though, is of course Brian Lara. Like captain Carl Hooper, he visited Zimbabwe during the eighties as a member – captain actually – of a Young West Indian team, so he knows what to expect, but a lot of water has passed under the bridge since then. Lara has yet fully to overcome the problems of not long ago being considered the world’s greatest batsman, with all-time Test and first-class records to his credit, and also of being the star player in a fading team. But it is hard to believe he will leave Zimbabwe without making his mark in a big way in at least one match, if not the whole tournament.India’s star is Sachin Tendulkar, who has been able to handle his fame more readily than Lara and will be eager to atone for his comparative `failure’ in the recent Test series. Zimbabwe, deprived of Andy Flower, now have to face the opposition without a world-class batsman in their ranks.Extra responsibility therefore falls on Zimbabwe’s bowlers to ensure that the opposition totals are kept within bounds. If Heath Streak’s knee starts to trouble him after a long season, they will have serious problems, but at least they have perhaps more back-up pace bowlers than ever before. Seamers of the quality of Bryan Strang and Pommie Mbangwa have been omitted; Eddo Brandes, according to many reports bowling consistently better than he has ever done, is not considered, and there are several other young pace bowlers who can step into the breach, even with Henry Olonga and Brighton Watambwa injured. But Streak, as the backbone of the attack and a vital batsman, especially in the one-day game, is irreplaceable.India have a powerful batting line-up that, apart from Shiv Sunder Das, has not yet done itself justice on pitches with more bounce than those to which they are accustomed. Sourav Ganguly has an outstanding one-day record and may well find his elusive form in this tournament, while VVS Laxman, if he exercises a little more judgement, could be devastating. Rahul Dravid will add stability.West Indies must be worried about their batsmen, most of whom have yet to come to terms with the Zimbabwean conditions. They have not performed well in their two warm-up matches, and gave the impression that they were rather too casual and failing to apply themselves seriously enough. That attitude will obviously spell failure unless they can make serious adjustments in quick time. But there is too much latent talent there to write them off.If forced into a corner, my prediction would be India against Zimbabwe in the final, with India winning. But in a tournament as unpredictable as this, that is mere guesswork. Much depends on Zimbabwe’s ability to live without Andy Flower, the success of the Indian batting and the inspiration of Lara. West Indian cricket will turn the corner sometime, and it might just be now.

Manchester United and INEOS are now reportedly holding internal discussions about the possibility of signing a Premier League star in the January transfer window.

INEOS holding talks about signing Premier League star

It’s an open secret that Man United are chasing a midfield reinforcement in the January transfer window after Ruben Amorim was hit with one injury too many in recent weeks.

As things stand, Amorim is without Bruno Fernandes following his ill-timed injury and has the untrusted Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo to call on alongside the ageing Casemiro. On the hunt for Champions League qualification, to say those options are far from ideal would be an understatement.

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So, INEOS have got to work. Ahead of the winter window, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co. have reportedly set their sights on Ruben Neves, Adam Wharton and several others.

Neves has been a name particularly mentioned as of late, as he looks to complete a move back to the Premier League. Find a way past his Saudi salary and there’s no doubt that he could emerge as an excellent solution to Man United’s problems.

There’s also doubts about Mainoo’s future. The Carrington graduate has struggled for game-time since the arrival of Amorim and after his brother was spotted wearing a “free Kobbie Mainoo” T-shirt at Old Trafford, a number of exit rumours have emerged.

Reports have suggested that the likes of Chelsea and Bayern Munich have set their sights on Mainoo, although it remains to be seen whether Amorim decides to block his exit.

If he does leave then James Garner may become a serious option. According to the Daily Mail, INEOS are now holding conversations about signing Garner from Everton next month.

Man Utd could land bargain deal for Garner

Among all the rumours that INEOS could splash the cash next year, Garner represents a bargain deal. The Everton star is entering the final six months of his current contract in Merseyside and could yet leave the club as a free agent.

This means that the Toffees are likely to only have one final chance to cash in on their midfielder in January, potentially allowing United to offer a cut-price deal to their own benefit.

The obstacle for United is that Everton are still trying to convince the Carrington graduate to sign a new deal at the club and manager David Moyes hasn’t kept his admiration for Garner a secret.

Subscribe for insider transfer coverage and analysis Our newsletter offers in-depth, sourced coverage of Manchester United and Premier League transfer activity — from INEOS targets to midfield scouting. Features expert analysis and clear context to better understand transfer options. Subscribe Subscribe for insider transfer coverage and analysis Our newsletter offers in-depth, sourced coverage of Manchester United and Premier League transfer activity — from INEOS targets to midfield scouting. Features expert analysis and clear context to better understand transfer options.

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The veteran manager told reporters earlier this season: “He’s been fantastic since I came in. I didn’t realise probably how good he was. He’s been so good.

“He’s played great in midfield and he’s played full-back for me as well. I’ve said a couple of times recently he’s probably getting closer to getting talked about for England because of his performances.

“By the way, England have got so many good players to select from, so for anyone to select a team [is difficult]. I’ve been listening to discussions all week about (Phil) Foden and (Jude) Bellingham, etc., but all I’m saying is Jimmy is one of the group of young English midfield players who maybe in the future has a chance of getting a call-up.”

Liverpool manager has stated that he is happy to have Luis Suarez back in contention for the game against Tottenham on Monday night, and is relishing the opportunity to partner the South American with Steven Gerrard and Andy Carroll.

The Uruguay international will return to the Premier League fray against Harry Redknapp’s men, after serving an eight-match ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra in a clash against Manchester United.

Dalglish is glad to have his first-choice attacking trident available, and feels the trio can aid the Merseysiders’ continued progression.

“I’ve been told the three of them have only played 60 minutes together,” he said at a pre-match press conference, covered by Sky Sports.

“For various reasons I don’t think they’ve had a great deal of time to play together on the pitch, but the West Brom game away in October comes to mind that Luis and Andy did well.

“Luis played Andy in for a goal that day and so we hope to see more of them together. I am happy we’ve got all the strikers fit and available at the moment. Within the team partnerships will develop,” he stated.

The Scottish coach went on to hail the improvement within the club over the last 12 months, as The Reds look to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since they finished second in 2008-09.

“We’re excited with what’s happening here lately and I think everybody can say they have moved the club on a little bit,” the trainer continued.

“We’ve made good progress. And I don’t think we need to look so much at the results against the two Manchester clubs to justify it.

“There was progress all along. The squad’s much stronger now than it was last year – which is progress.

“We can’t look back on ifs, buts and maybes in terms of dropped points at home, but we’ve still a lot of football to play,” he admitted.

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.

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With Arsenal and Newcastle both winning over the weekend, the emphasis is on the Anfield team to match their rivals’ results to keep up to speed in the battle for fourth.

By Gareth McKnight

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