Zimbabwe players and officials have demanded the resignation of Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, on grounds that he failed to address the sporting crisis in the country. In a letter to Speed, the chairperson of all seven provinces, players’ representatives, former Zimbabwe Cricket directors, and other “stakeholders” said that the ICC should not recognise the Zimbabwe Cricket management of Peter Chingoka and managing director Ozias Bvute.”They remain in their positions only because the Zimbabwe government arbitrarily appointed a temporary committee, most of whom know nothing about cricket” Associated Press quoted Richie Kaschula, a former international bowler who was recently sacked as full-time selector, as saying. “The ICC declined to intervene, which should have been their duty.” The letter also cited the ICC’s ineffectiveness in handling the two-year-old crisis and said Speed was wrong to allow Chingoka to investigate himself and Bvute following widespread allegations of corruption.Chingoka and Bvute have faced criticism in the past. In October of 2005, there were calls for both to resign after claims of financial mismanagement. Chingoka and Bvute were arrested by Harare police following Reserve Bank investigations but released on the instruction of Zimbabwe’s attorney general.Speed was also accused of doing nothing to enforce his instructions to Zimbabwe to solve player strikes. “We believe that in the interests of cricket worldwide you should do the honorable thing and resign your position,” the letter concluded.Copies of the letter have been sent to every Test-playing country seeking support.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has refused to grant Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi interim bail in relation to the black-buck hunting incident that he was allegedly involved in.The court has also issued a notice to the Haryana government to produce all documents pertaining to the case by Friday, according to a report by the Press Trust of India. Pataudi has been missing from his Delhi residence for more than a week and has not been contactable.”No interim order will be passed,” vacation judge Justice Rajive Bhalle is quoted as having told Dinesh Mathur, Pataudi’s counsel, in response to Mathur pressing for anticipatory bail for his client.To add to Pataudi’s woes, the Haryana Wildlife Department has said that he had disputed trophies in his possession. “Pataudi’s Ibrahim Palace housed at least 12 trophies of deer species about which he has no certificate to authenticate when he inherited them,” KL Minhas, the chief wildlife warden, is quoted as saying. Minhas also described Pataudi as a “habitual hunter”, saying: “The former cricketer is in the habit of hunting regularly in areas of Jhajjar district with the association of local people.”The wildlife department added that it would conduct tests on the trophies in an attempt to investigate the matter further.
Sourav Ganguly is facing possible censure from the International Cricket Council after describing the rules covering slow over-rates as “ridiculous” in the aftermath of India’s five-run win in the opening one-day international against Pakistan.Both Ganguly and Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s captain, were fined because their sides bowled their overs too slowly. “The old rule was OK where a team with a slow over-rate was docked overs when they batted,” Ganguly fumed. “At the break, when I went to the match referee to ask how many overs Pakistan had to get the target in, he said there would be no overs docked. I find that ridiculous. When you are in a tight situation, and when winning and not losing is so important, players don’t mind forgoing money.”What angered Ganguly was that Pakistan’s dilatory over-rate – not helped by a 20 no-balls and 10 wides – meant that they went 20 minutes over time.Ganguly claimed that he was not told of this before the start of the match, but embarrassingly for him, the rules relating to fines replacing a reduced allocation of overs were changed 11 months ago, and so Pakistan received their full 50 overs in return. In any case, Ranjan Madugalle, the match referee, was not obliged to repeat the rules to the captains.It is now up to Madugalle to decide whether Ganguly should be reported for a Level Two offence under the Code of Conduct – “Public criticism of or inapropriate comment on a match-related incident or a match official.” The maximum penalty is 50 percent of the match fee and/or one Test or two ODI ban.Ganguly admitted that was a surprise to him. “I didn’t know about this rule. It was only when I went up to the match referee that I came to know that this new rule has been applied.”
Coach Dav Whatmore believes that Sri Lanka’s recent experience of SouthAfrican conditions could provide them with a crucial advantage in their WorldCup opener against New Zealand on Monday.Sri Lanka were whitewashed in the Test series and then hammered 4-1 in theone-day series that followed but Whatmore believes that crucial lessons werelearned.”We needed to go through the pain and heartache in South Africa and inAustralia to get an understanding of those conditions,” said Whatmore. “Itwill hold us in good stead despite the confidence being knocked a bit.”New Zealand, meanwhile, last played at home where they swarmed all over theIndians, winning the seven-match series 5-2 on lush, green tracks ill-suitedto the limited overs game.Whatmore questions whether that was ideal preparation for the World Cup:”They won on bowler friendly wickets. It is not going to be easy to adjustin such a short space of time.”The Sri Lankans hope that the pitch will be similar in pace to the turgidsurface that assisted their spinners during their second warm-up gameagainst Free State last week.With off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan having recovered from a thigh injury,Sri Lanka will bowl a minimum of 20 overs of spin during the match.Sri Lanka have an excellent recent record against the Black Caps having won13 of the last 16 matches played since 1997 but Whatmore still rates themhighly.New Zealand are not a team of big stars, but bits and pieces players who doit fairly well and with good team spirit. They have a good history ofstarting competitions well,” said Whatmore.Whatmore predicts that result will be crucial: “Its a must win situation. Itwill give the team a big boost if we can get away to a win. It will probablybe the match of the round in our pool.”New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming is unperturbed by his side’s previous form against Sri Lanka, pointing instead to their reputation as starters.”We usually start tournaments well,” said Fleming. “We’re going to do wellbecause we believe in the squad we have.”The return of explosive all-rounder Chris Cairns also adds to substance to abatting line-up that relies heavily on the class of Nathan Astle.Cairns will not bowl during the early games having not regained full fitnessafter a long-term knee injury.The all-rounder also has confidence in his teammates: “In the last twotournaments we had a good side and thought we would do well, but this onehere, with the side we’ve got we’re quietly confident.”The preparation’s been fantastic and it’s the best unit I’ve been involvedin, that’s for sure.”Sri Lanka (from):S Jayasuriya (captain), M Atapattu, M Jayawardene, K Sangakkara, A De Silva,R Arnold, J Mubarak, A Gunawardene, H Tillakaratne, M Muralitharan, C Vaas,D Fernando, P Gunaratne, P Nissanka, C Buddhika Fernando.New Zealand (from):S Fleming (captain), A Adams, N Astle, S Bond, C Cairns, C Harris, CMcMillan, J Oram, S Styris, D Tuffey, D Vettori, L Vincent, B McCullum.
The Coca-Cola Cup tournament in Zimbabwe has managed quite comfortablyto make a fair number of people reconsider their opinions. Before thetri-series began, the hosts were seen to be, if not the outrightfavourites, at least the safest bet of the three sides. India’sconfidence had taken a beating in the recently concluded Test seriesagainst Zimbabwe and West Indies minus Brian Lara were a less thanformidable side. Or so it seemed. With just one match to go before theIndia-West Indies final, the tournament is already over for the hometeam, who had the mortification of losing all four games they played.Then again, this tournament has hardly gone according to script, withthe scenario itself constantly changing and reinventing itself. A lookat the schedule is the best place to start. Zimbabwe and India playedeach other twice, before the latter had a single game against the WestIndies. With India winning both their clashes against Zimbabwe, andWest Indies beating Zimbabwe in their first encounter, the men fromthe subcontinent were virtually through to the final without playingagainst the West Indies!The second aspect that put a dampener on the tournament was thewithdrawal of Messrs Lara and Andy Flower. A recurring hamstringinjury meant that Lara would fly back to the West Indies withoutplaying a match in the tournament. Flower, on whom all Zimbabwe’shopes rested, pulled out before the first limited overs game, citingan injury to his thumb. The Zimbabwean top order bat and stumper wasto undergo a surgery around the same time when the tournament gotunder way. With two of the biggest guns in India’s opposition ruledout, the balance shifted a bit. But surely no one expected India toenter the final with such ease.The Indians for their part have reached the final in effective, butsomewhat unspectacular fashion. Batting second after consistentlywinning the toss, India have had smallish totals to chase: 134 againstZimbabwe at Harare, 235 against Zimbabwe again, at Bulawayo and 170against West Indies at Bulawayo. Perhaps that contributed to the factthere was no centurion, or for that matter a bowler who took fivewickets in an innings. Zaheer Khan with 4-42 got closest to the mark,while fans had to make do with Sourav Ganguly’s 85 against Zimbabwe atBulawayo for the highest score by an Indian. The saving grace however,was that the innings spoken about signaled the return to form of theIndian captain.If India had anything to be a bit worried about in their undefeatedmarch to the final, it was the form of a couple of youngstersseemingly earmarked for higher honours, Dinesh Mongia and VirenderSehwag. Mongia, selected ahead of statemate Yuvraj Singh on the basisof his consistent performances in the domestic circuit eked out just45 runs from two innings, including one innings of 37. Coming in tobat in situations ideally suited to his form of batting chasing lowtotals against opposition attacks without any big guns, Mongiadisappointed. Enigmatic Delhi all-rounder Sehwag too flattered todeceive. Coming in to bat with the score on 187/4 chasing 238, Sehwaghad an ideal opportunity to knock up an unbeaten 20-30 odd runs andforce the pace. Presented with the opportunity, Sehwag failed to grabit with both hands.Then again this is not the time to be overly critical. The only reasonone is nudged to think along these lines is the refreshingly differentapproach of another youngster trying to make a name for himself -Hemang Badani. Helping himself to an unbeaten half century in India’sopening game of the series, the southpaw took every opportunity tostay at the wicket and make a few runs. Never impetuous or rushinginto his innings, Badani failed only in the second encounter againstZimbabwe where he was dismissed first ball by Grant Flower.The other aspect the Indian selectors can take heart in is theperformance of the quicker bowlers. In the absence of the experiencedJavagal Srinath, Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar, HarvinderSingh and Debashish Mohanty all discharged their responsibilitiesextremely well. Taking full advantage of the moisture in the wicketearly on the seamers accounted for 19 wickets between them. Mohanty,not seen as much more than a tourist on this trip, snapped up 3/18 off10 overs in the first game he got. Will the Indian captain be temptedto give him another go in this tournament? If he does, it will have tobe at the expense of either Ajit Agarkar or Harbhajan Singh, as thetwo left-armers have done enough to hold their places.With just a rehearsal of the final to go before the big event, JohnWright should be quite content with the way the Indian machine ismotoring along. Some fine tuning might happen, but a major change inapproach is unlikely.
In recent days, Leeds United have been linked with a move for Sergino Dest.
According to TEAMtalk, the American right-back is one of manager Jesse Marsch’s top targets heading into the summer transfer window. It’s believed he could be available for a move after falling down the pecking order at FC Barcelona.
The 21-year-old doesn’t appear to be in Xavi’s plans and the Yorkshire outfit believe he would be an excellent addition for the right price – what that is, however, remains to be seen.
He is currently valued at €90m (£75m) by CIES Football Observatory but previous reports in Spain have suggested that the LaLiga giants would be willing to part ways for less than half that; around €35m (£29.5m).
Other outlets (via Sport Witness) have also claimed that there are ongoing discussions with the Catalan side as they are interested in prising Raphinha away from Elland Road and Dest could even be included in some sort of player-plus-cash deal.
Whatever is the case, the 17-time USMNT international would be a great signing for fellow countryman, Marsch, and one that could truly kickstart his era at the Whites.
Primarily a right-back, Dest is capable of playing in a multitude of positions, including on the left flank in the same role, as well as further forward and that is certainly an appealing trait to possess.
It would also put long-serving Marcelo Bielsa favourite Luke Ayling at risk, especially as he has displayed signs of inconsistency throughout the 2021/22 season.
Bringing in a new man to succeed the vice-captain would be a real sign of intent that Marsch wants to do things his way and to move on from the Argentine icon.
Once described as a “big talent” by former Ajax teammate Quincy Promes, Dest has featured 27 times for Barca this season and has proven to be one of their best passers in the league, averaging an accuracy rate of 92.2%, a feat only bettered by two other players, via WhoScored.
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Also averaging 1.6 tackles and 1.9 dribbles per game, the American is clearly a player that can get up and down the flank to good effect, contributing at both ends of the pitch.
If he’s a player that Marsch is indeed pursuing, then director of football Victor Orta must push ahead to try and sign him this summer, and this sort of signing could well truly kickstart this new and exciting era under the 48-year-old head coach.
AND in other news, Fewer touches than Meslier: “Headless” flop who made only 8 passes failed Marsch vs Southampton…
For the first time this season, Plymouth Argyle now have clear daylight between themselves and the relegation zone.
Dropping out of the football league is still a very real possibility for the Pilgrims, but the win yesterday could prove priceless come the end of the season.
Bradford have the worst away record of any team in League Two so our confidence was high going into this game, and so it proved as with just four minutes on the clock Argyle took the lead. A lovely curling free kick by Paul Wotton was met with ease by Juvhel Tsoumou at the back post, who headed home with aplomb to send the Green Army into seventh heaven.
It was the first of many long balls into the Bradford area that exposed the Bantams makeshift defence. After having two of their defenders sent off in midweek, and missing two more through injury, the visitors always looked weak at the back and had Argyle been more clinical they could easily have scored more than one.
Despite taking an early lead, Argyle did not take their foot off the gas at all. It was only three minutes later when a sweet Robbie Williams free kick hit the post and was unlucky not to go in as it rebounded off the sprawling Bradford keeper’s head and out for a corner.
Bradford did grow into the game as the half went on though, and Argyle were given warning signs when first Ravenhill and then Flynn both went close for the Bantams with efforts from just outside the area. Syers was then denied for Bradford when Durrell Berry, who has improved greatly recently, cleared his well met header off of the Argyle line. The Greens needed to go into half time with their lead intact, and did just that, although the lead could have been greater had Nick Chadwick made a better connection on an Ashley Hemmings cross
Argyle started the second half the brighter of the two sides with Chadwick and MacDonald both shooting narrowly wide before Simon Walton earned his wages with a heroic goal line clearance when it looked like Bradford had equalised.
Steven Fletcher making his debut for Argyle, came on with 20 minutes to go. Despite being 39, the veteran has never been out on loan until now. The reception he received from the Green Army as he warmed up suggests that his arrival to help fight the Argyle cause is appreciated by all associated with the Greens.
The big target man was obviously deployed to make the ball stick at the Bradford end of the field, as Argyle entered the territory where heartbreaking equalisers often come. And so, exactly as they did 2 weeks ago, Argyle led 1-0 at home with 10 minutes to go. The pressure on the Plymouth goal increased, but the defence did not crack. For a gut wrenching second with only two minutes left to play, it looked like Bradford had equalised. However, the linesman’s flag, so often the bane of a football fans life, came to Argyle’s rescue and rightly disallowed the late strike.
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It was the last scare of the game for Argyle, as the final whistle came just seconds later. This was met with one of the loudest cheers I have ever heard at Home Park, the realisation a proper gap had opened up between us and the relegation zone was evident on every face, and the chants of ‘We are staying up’ went on for a good five minutes after full time.
The next step towards safety for Argyle? The good Friday clash at Hereford, a team bottom of the league and fighting for their football league status. Another three points there and the table will look even better still as the dream slowly becomes reality.
Newcastle’s hunt for a new striker, or strikers, is likely to start gathering momentum in the coming weeks as Alan Pardew will get his hands on a significant amount of spending money. Pardew will have a list of potential targets written out and he will no doubt spend the next few weeks narrowing his search down to his top priorities. Whether Chelsea forward Daniel Sturridge is on Pardew’s wish list is unknown, but I’m sure Pardew will be well aware of the news that Sturridge has spoken out over his desire to play regular first team football next season, something which Chelsea may not be able to give him. The news has already alerted other admirers of Sturridge and two teams in particular have got tabs on the England U21 man, they are Tottenham and Bolton. This got me pondering over the idea – if Sturridge leaves West London this summer would Bolton, Tottenham or Newcastle represent the best move for the player?
I instantly ruled Tottenham out of the equation, as there would be a very strong possibility that Sturridge could find himself in a similar situation to the one he currently finds himself in at Chelsea. Tottenham have Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Rafael Van der Vaart all vying for places in attack and Sturridge would find himself competing for a starting berth. Obviously regardless of where Sturridge goes, he will be competing for a place, but Newcastle and Bolton aren’t blessed with the competition for places that is evident at Spurs. Therefore Sturridge’s quest for regular first team football is likely to be more attainable at the Reebok or St James’ Park.
Newcastle are on the lookout for Andy Carroll’s successor and the fabled number nine shirt is presentlyawaiting a new owner, to which Sturridge would be a fitting recipient. Bolton are also on the search for a new number nine, as Galatasaray revealed this week that Johan Elmander has agreed a pre contract with them. Sturridge knows exactly what to expect should he opt for a move to Bolton after spending a successful loan spell with the Trotters this season. He would settle into familiar surroundings and be working with a manager with whom he has clearly already developed a good rapport. A move to Newcastle would represent a new chapter in Sturridge’s career and one which would give him the opportunity to play in front of some of the most passionate supporters in the country. Sturridge would more than likely be either club’smain striking option for next season and he would realise his aspiration for regular first team football.
Singling out which club out of the two would be best for Sturridge is not easy as they are at similar levels in terms of quality, this is supported by the fact thatboth sides finished the season on 46 points. Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is intent on ensuring Newcastle take strides towards European football next season, so maybe Newcastle’s vision for the future is greater than Bolton’s?
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However, I’m going to sit on the fence on this one and say a move to either Newcastle or Bolton would represent a step in the right direction for Sturridge’s progression into a top striker. If Chelsea want to keep Sturridge it will all be irrelevant anyway, but a move to Newcastle or Bolton would be the best thing for Sturridge’s career.
Wales caretaker manager Brian Flynn has revealed that Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey is close to making a return to training.
The 19-year-old Wales midfielder has been out of action since suffering a double leg break during a Premier League game against Stoke City in February.
Ramsey was left stricken by a tackle from Potters defender Ryan Shawcross which immediately threatened his career.
However, following successful surgery he is expected to make a full recovery and could be back in training by the end of October.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger suggested Ramsey could return to training in November when speaking earlier in the season.
"I've spoken with Aaron and he's making great progress," said Flynn.
"He told me he will be back in full training in three weeks.
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"He's a great talent and we all want him back playing again.
"It's great news for Arsenal, Wales and of course for Aaron himself."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
The FA has fined West Ham starlet Ravel Morrison £7000, after he was found guilty of making homophobic comments on Twitter.
The remark on the social networking site was apparently in response to a comment made by another user, and the extent of Morrison’s punishment has been revealed by the game’s governing body.
“West Ham United’s Ravel Morrison has been fined £7,000 and warned as to his future conduct after he admitted a charge of using abusive and/or insulting words including a reference to a person’s sexual orientation,” an official FA statement reads.
“The charge was in relation to comments Morrison made on Twitter.”
Morrison was adjudged as one of the brightest prospects at Manchester United, but refused to sign a new deal at Old Trafford and instead decided to leave to join The Hammers in the January transfer window.
This case of indiscipline is not the first in the midfielder’s past, as he was once fined £600 for throwing his girlfriend’s phone out of a window after an argument, has been cautioned by police for assaulting his mother and also admitted to witness intimidation last year.
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