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A round-up of matches on the second day of the Emerging Players tournament in Brisbane

Cricinfo staff09-Aug-2010
ScorecardIndia Emerging Players crushed South Africa Emerging Players by 102 runs after Jaidev Unadkat dismissed the South Africans for a paltry 64. This win took India to the top of the table with two wins from as many matches while the South Africans have lost both their games.Chasing India’s 166, the South Africans were reduced to 7 for 33 at one stage. Unadkat’s spell read 3-0-10-4 as eight batsmen, including the top seven, did not reach double figures. He was supported by Vinay Kumar and Piyush Chawla, both of whom took two wickets, as the South Africans were shot out in 13.1 overs.Earlier, the Indians were off to their second blazing start of the tournament, with an opening stand of 66 in 7.2 overs between Shikhar Dhawan and captain Parthiv Patel. Patel was the more aggressive of the two, making 37 off 23 deliveries, while Dhawan made 47 off 45. Naman Ojha was unbeaten on 20 off 10 deliveries with two sixes as the Indians finished on 7 for 166, after three wickets in eight deliveries had reduced them to 6 for 142.
ScorecardAustralian Institute of Sports thrashed New Zealand Emerging Players by eight wickets, overhauling the target of 162 inside 15 overs. The Australian chase was anchored by wicketkeeper Ben Dunk who shrugged off the early loss of his opening partner Nic Maddinson to remain unbeaten on 64 off 44 deliveries. Luke Pomersbach hammered 38 off 13 deliveries with three fours and as many sixes, as the Australians raced to 78 in six overs. Thereafter, James Faulkner combined with Dunk in an unbroken 87-run stand as the Australians cantered to victory in 14.4 overs.In New Zealand’s innings, captain Jamie How top-scored with 40 off 29 deliveries, as they reached 8 for 161 in their 20 overs. Four other batsmen got twenties but New Zealand lost five wickets for 19 runs at the death to be reduced to 8 for 145 in 19 overs. However, Brendon Diamanti took 16 runs off the last over in a late flourish, remaining unbeaten on 27 off nine deliveries.

The departure of Rafa Benitez as Everton manager this week came after the club won just five Premier League games out of a possible 19, drawing four and losing ten.

Since his exit, the Toffees have announced that Duncan Ferguson will act as their caretaker manager for their upcoming games alongside John Ebbrell, Leighton Baines and goalkeeping Coach Alan Kelly.

That will be until the Merseyside club can secure a new permanent boss to take the reins and one name has been suggested that could be a suitable option for the job going forward.

What’s the latest?

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live Sport (via Liverpool Echo), Robbie Savage had this to say on the possibility of Everton considering appointing Burnley boss Sean Dyche as their next permanent manager.

He said: “Everton have had Ronald Koeman, they have had Ancelotti and Rafa Benitez. They have had huge names trying to manage that football club. But it’s not working. Rooney, I agree, with his passion. I think he is doing a fantastic job at Derby under unbelievable circumstances.

“But what about, and people might laugh at this, what about Sean Dyche? Keeps Premier League teams up on small budgets. The job he has done, over the whole, why is Sean Dyche, who has done unbelievable, season after season after season, in keeping Burnley in the Premier League.”

Fans would fume

With a total of 412 games under his belt as Burnley manager with 149 wins, 110 draws and 153 defeats, the 50-year-old has managed to keep the Lancashire club in the Premier League consistently since the 2016/17 season, taking them to an impressive seventh-place finish at the end of the 2017/18 campaign.

Dyche’s longevity at Burnley suggests that he could offer a lot of experience and stability to Everton, which is what they could seriously do with given how many managers they’ve had come and go in recent years.

However, with Burnley narrowly avoiding relegation last season and being in danger of dropping down to the Championship again this time around, this will surely put a whole host of Everton fans off the idea of having Dyche take over from Ferguson on a permanent basis.

After all, the last thing the Toffees want is to fall into a relegation battle, something they are close to engulfing themselves in right now.

Of course, Ferguson doesn’t have much experience of full-time management but unlike Dyche, he is somebody the Goodison faithful adore.

Moving forward, if Everton give Ferguson and his coaching team until the end of the season before they hire a new permanent boss, they should certainly keep an eye on Dyche and his situation at Burnley even though he signed a new deal with the Clarets back in September, but if he fails to keep his side up this season, Everton should look elsewhere.

In other news: Sky Sports journo drops EFC manager claim on live TV, he’d raise the roof at Goodison – opinion

Rudi Koertzen has said the Australian players were quite a handful to officiate, singling out former fast bowler Glenn McGrath

Cricinfo staff29-Aug-2010Rudi Koertzen, the former South African Elite Panel umpire who recently retired from international matches, has said the Australian players were quite a handful to officiate, singling out former fast bowler Glenn McGrath.In an interview earlier this month, Koertzen said Shane Warne was the hardest bowler to umpire purely because of the pressure he used to exert. However, he wasn’t always pleased with McGrath’s conduct on the field. McGrath, who ended his successful Test career as Australia’s second-highest wicket-taker with 563 wickets, had a few run-ins with match referees and umpires.”He wasn’t one of the happiest guys. He always moaned and whinged,” Koertzen told . “If he wasn’t getting wickets and the batsmen were hitting him for a few fours, he got a bit personal and upset. I thought I was very fortunate to get on with probably 99% of the players in world cricket.”There was always the odd individual who had to be babied all the time. You had to be like a policeman to them. A fielder like Matthew Hayden or Andrew Symonds, you always had to be alert when they were on the field because something was going to happen. If you didn’t pick it up as soon as possible things were going to get out of hand.”Koertzen also sounded out a warning for players to not let their emotions get the better of them. He referred to the incident where the England fast bowler Stuart Broad flung the ball back to Pakistan’s Zulqarnain Haider, striking his shoulder. Broad apologised for his spontaneous act and was fined 50% of his match fee. Koertzen felt that Broad, who’s not shy of showing his aggression on the field, was deserving of that punishment, or else it would have led to a bad precedent.”It’s so unnecessary for a bowler to pick up the ball and throw it at the batsman. It’s just not part of the game,” Koertzen said. “He is a good lad, honestly he is. But sometimes he gets a bit too emotional. When it happened I thought: ‘Here we go’.”It had been breeding for a while and the first thing I was waiting for was to see whether he was reported or not. He was reported and that was a good thing. If he gets away with it on one day, then the next day he is going to take advantage of players and umpires again.”Koertzen is a strong backer of the Umpire Decision Review System and wants it to be implemented across all series. The system has been used haphazardly as cricket boards like the BCCI have shown little or no interest in implementing it.”The guys are, probably, 75% happy with the system. The problem is, why should you have England against Australia or England against South Africa with the system, but India versus Sri Lanka without it?”

Aston Villa have not been shy when it comes to identifying and signing players that they feel will improve their side, either as immediate first-team figures such as Danny Ings or young prospects that could work their way into becoming regular senior players in the future such as Louie Barry and Kerr Smith.

With a few days left until deadline day arrives, one fairly young player that Villa have been linked with that could come in and start making a claim to become a regular figure in Steven Gerrard’s team is Sunderland’s 20-year-old midfielder Dan Neil.

As a product of the Wearside club’s youth system, the midfielder has made a total of 42 appearances for Lee Johnson’s first team across all competitions, chipping in with three goals and eight assists along the way.

This season has seen the youngster play in all but one of Sunderland’s league games, highlighting how critical he is to the team.

As well as his goals and assists from midfield, Neil’s overall performances have also been note-worthy with WhoScored listing the Englishman as the fifth-highest rated Sunderland player to have played more than one league game so far this season with a rating of 6.86/10.

Despite it still being early days in his playing career, the Sunderland maestro has already been likened to a young version of Premier League legend Michael Carrick by talkSPORT commentator Ian Danter, which is a massive compliment given how highly regarded the former Manchester United midfielder is.

With that in mind, the opportunity to unearth the next Carrick at Villa should be a very exciting prospect for Gerrard and therefore persuade the Midlands club to launch a move to sign the Sunderland starlet, who has been labelled as a “diamond” by Phil Parkinson in the past.

Given how important he is to Johnson’s side, who are pushing for promotion back to the Championship, Villa may struggle getting them to agree a deal for Neil to leave before the end of the month.

However, with the lure of potentially playing in the Premier League with a big club like Villa under the management of one of the best midfield players of all time, this could be a very tempting next step for the Sunderland star should he feel like he’s ready to start a new chapter in his career.

In other news: “I’m hearing”: Insider drops “emerging” AVFC transfer claim, Gerrard would be furious – opinion

Worcestershire nibbled into Glamorgan’s nine-point advantage in the battle ofthe last promotion spot in the County Championship by restricting Sussex to191 for 7 at New Road

13-Sep-2010
ScorecardWorcestershire nibbled into Glamorgan’s nine-point advantage in the battle ofthe last promotion spot in the County Championship by restricting Sussex to191 for 7 at New Road.While their Welsh rivals struggled, batting first against Derbyshire atCardiff, Worcestershire reduced the gap with two bowling points after being heldup by a Sussex teenager following his father into the county team.Luke Wells, son of former captain Alan, made a capable 62 in a little more thanthree hours on his first-class debut before Sussex, already promoted as DivisionTwo champions, lurched into trouble on a murky afternoon.Having looked comfortable at 131 for 2 until Murray Goodwin fell for 34 in adamaging second spell by Alan Richardson, they lost five wickets – includingWells – while adding 17 runs in 12.2 overs. The 35-year-old Richardson, now with his fourth county, came into the match with 50 Championship wickets this season and added to his tally with 3 for 34 from 22 testing overs.Worcestershire’s momentum eventually ran down as Andrew Hodd made an unbeaten31, putting on an undefeated 43 with young spin bowler Will Beer, who reached 22not out in his second Championship appearance. Bad light then ended play at5pm.Wells, a 6ft 4in left hander who has played for England at Under-19 level, waspositive at the start of his innings. A clip for three off Matt Mason’s firstball would have eased any nerves but it was not good for his partner when ChrisNash was lbw to the next delivery.Wells gathered confidence with three consecutive boundaries off Mason, butGareth Andrew checked Sussex’s early gallop in a fine spell which deserved morethan the leg before wicket dismissal of Ben Brown for 32. The second wicket produced 74 and this was followed by a stand of 54 before Goodwin attempted to cut the third ball of Richardson’s after-lunch spell and gave a catch to Vikram Solanki at first slip.Mason was unusually expensive in the morning but repaired his figures in a muchstronger second spell in which Luke Wright edged to second slip. With the England one-day all-rounder out for a fourth-ball duck, Sussex suffered a another blow when Wells, having slowed noticeably after reaching 50 with nine fours, drove hard at Richardson and sliced a catch to gully.Sussex are without four of their leading players and their middle orderstruggled against seam movement. Yasir Arafat was quickly lbw to medium pacerJames Cameron and James Anyon became another victim for Richardson with a nickto second slip.

Although it wasn’t the sort of statement signing for major money that Newcastle United are now associated with, the Magpies’ late swoop to take Aston Villa left-back Matt Targett on loan for the rest of the campaign could prove to be a masterstroke.

On the chalkboard

The 26-year-old had been a regular for Steven Gerrard’s side this campaign, making 17 Premier League appearances, but the signing of Lucas Digne from Everton meant that Targett’s game time was going to be significantly reduced.

It was a harsh blow for Villa’s player of the season last campaign, who was subject to immense praise from club legend Gabriel Agbonlahor last season, saying: “In the last 15 years, he’s the best left-back Villa have had.

“Even during my time and the left-backs I played with, I look at Matt Targett and he’s the best we’ve had in the last 15 years since I made my debut.

“He’s so good going forward, he has a good connection with Jack Grealish on that side. He can defend, he’s proved this season he can defend against the top teams.

“He’s really comfortable on the ball, if he can continue to put in these performances then there is 100 per cent no reason why he can’t get into the England squad.”

However, the Englishman will still be able to complete a full top-flight campaign as a regular through his temporary stay in the North-East.

There are certainly some areas of Eddie Howe’s squad where numbers are limited, however, Newcastle now have four recognised left-backs in their ranks with Targett surely the best option.

Matt Ritchie has been Howe’s first choice for the majority of the season, making 16 league appearances so far, whilst Paul Dummett (two) and Jamal Lewis (five) have had quiet campaigns.

When you compare both Ritchie and Targett, their core statistics are quite similar, with the latter making one more league appearance this season and both having two-goal involvements each in the league.

However, the Scotland international has been part of a much worse side, particularly regarding defence, than his new teammate.

The Tyneside outfit are the Premier League’s second-worst defenders having conceded 43 goals in 21 games, whilst Villa have let in 11 fewer in the same space of time.

Moreover, Ritchie is yet to keep a clean sheet in the top-flight this season whilst Targett has three, which is arguably a reason why the former hasn’t featured for Newcastle in the league since mid-December.

Alongside the Englishman, Newcastle added Kieran Trippier to their squad on the other side of the defence in January, another player who could certainly prove vital in the final months of the season.

Howe is going to have to find a way to improve his side’s defence, otherwise, they could well be on course for a second relegation to the Championship in six years. Having the services of the £35k per week left-back for the rest of the season could prove to be the deciding factor.

AND in other news, “From what I’ve heard”: Waugh drops behind-scenes PIF claim that’ll intrigue NUFC fans…

As per The Sun, Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a potentially big boost in their pursuit of Benfica star Darwin Nunez.

The Lowdown: Spurs in the mix?

The Lilywhites and transfer chief Fabio Paratici are allegedly in the mix to sign Nunez, who seems set to be one of the big name transfers of 2022.

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Benfica’s prolific star, who has scored a quite incredible 24 goals in 24 league appearances so far this season, is now attracting interest from top clubs all over Europe.

Just last week, The Daily Express revealed Tottenham had officials in attendance to run the rule over Nunez during his side’s Champions League quarter-final first leg loss to Liverpool in Portugal.

Meanwhile, A Bola (via Sport Witness) have reported in the last few days that Spurs are in the hunt alongside numerous sides, with The Sun now sharing a potential advantage for manager Antonio Conte.

The Latest: Nunez making decisions…

As per their information, Nunez’ representatives believe he is ‘ready’ to move this summer as they seek a major transfer and weigh moves behind-the-scenes.

This is where Spurs come in, as it is claimed that Hotspur Way is a ‘preferable location’ for the 22-year-old alongside Liverpool and Arsenal.

The Verdict: Boost for Conte?

The Lilywhites, who are without a natural senior alternative to star centre-forward Harry Kane, arguably need to sign one in the summer for Conte if they’re serious about getting back among the Premier League’s elite for 2022/2023.

Already well in contention for a top four place after a stunning turnaround, the summer task is to back Tottenham’s head coach with major signings who can improve his chances of continuing to transform the club while competing on multiple fronts.

Nunez, valued at around £60m, would be a major statement of intent on behalf of Paratici, Spurs and chairman Daniel Levy.

Anfield Index podcaster Hari Sethi, for example, is one football critic who has raved over the Uruguayan’s ability – branding him an ‘absolute beast’ with ‘rapid quick’ speed (Twitter).

South America’s next star in the making would be a more-than adequate addition to back up Kane or even provide real competition for the striking role under Conte.

In other news: Spurs officials sent to club as Paratici now eyes ‘imperious’ ex-Man City man for Conte! Find out more here.

Sunil Gavaskar has refused an offer to be part of the IPL governing council because he felt that the league was a commercial enterprise and that those working for it should be remunerated

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2010Sunil Gavaskar has turned down the BCCI’s offer to be part of the IPL’s governing council, saying he felt that the league was a commercial enterprise and those working for it should be remunerated. The Indian board had said on Wednesday that members of the reconstituted council would no longer receive a salary.”I have been contacted and I have declined because after yesterday [Wednesday] I had second thoughts,” Gavaskar told NDTV. “The IPL is a commercial enterprise and non-BCCI members, former cricketers included, should be remunerated for the expertise, experience and time that they bring to the table.”Gavaskar had, on Wednesday evening, said he was willing to work in an honorary capacity but said this was not a turnaround. “Let me tell you for Indian cricket I am always there, but the IPL is a commercial enterprise.” Under the old system, the three former cricketers on the council – Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi – were paid Rs 1 crore (approximately $220,000) for their services.Doing away with salaries was only one of the wholesale changes the BCCI made to the governing council at its annual general meeting in Mumbai on Wednesday. It dissolved the existing body and set up a new one with Chirayu Amin as the chairman. The council also included five other members – Arun Jaitley, Ranjib Biswal, Anurag Thakur, Ajay Shirke and Rajiv Shukla – and two former cricketers, one of whom was Shastri, who had agreed to work in an honorary capacity.Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, had said that he needed to check with Gavaskar and Pataudi whether they were willing to serve on the council without remuneration.

Journalist Michael Graham was left stunned by footage of the goal scored by Elliot Embleton for Sunderland at home to Shrewsbury Town in League One this afternoon.

The Lowdown: Bright start

Alex Neil’s team made a very bright start to the game at the Stadium of Light, with Embleton and Nathan Broadhead putting them 2-0 up within 13 minutes.

However, they were pegged back to 2-2 in the second half through goals from Josh Vela and former Black Cats central defender Tom Flanagan, before Broadhead popped up with his second of the game in second-half stoppage time, taking Neil’s side three points clear of seventh.

The Latest: Embleton strike

Footage of Embleton’s half-volley from outside of the area was shared on Twitter, and Graham was thrilled to give his immediate reaction.

The journalist, who is also an SAFC supporter, was stunned by Embleton’s technique, calling it ‘outrageous’.

The Verdict: Great finish

Of course, it was a wonderful finish from Embleton, as that kind of technique is very difficult to execute, especially from outside of the box.

He was perhaps unfortunate to be taken off in the 62nd minute for Corry Evans, as he had a solid game in general.

The central midfield player also made one key pass and three accurate long balls, maintaining an 85% pass completion rate, one of the best recorded out of his teammates (SofaScore).

Nonetheless, Embleton should be confident that he will keep his place in the starting eleven for when the Wearside club play Plymouth Argyle away from home next.

In other news, find out what big Sunderland injury boost has now emerged here!

Harbhajan Singh has said that India have the potential to be No. 1 in Tests for an extended spell

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Oct-2010Harbhajan Singh has said that India have the potential to be No. 1 in Tests for an extended spell. India have been top of the table for 11 months, and have stretched their lead to 11 points over South Africa after the 2-0 series victory over Australia. Of their previous 10 Test series India have lost only one – in 2008, when Ajantha Mendis inspired Sri Lanka to a 2-1 win.”We have the talent to be at the top of the table for a long time,” Harbhajan told ESPNStar.com. “We have proven that in the last nine months and we were at the top because we have won lots of games both in India and abroad. If we can achieve that then why can’t we be there for a long time?”The Australia series was one in which Harbhajan managed to hit form after some lacklustre performances against Sri Lanka in July, where he wasn’t fully fit. “It has been a very satisfying series. We won 2-0. I took 11 wickets and am quite satisfied with my own performance, but it could have been better.”One of the disappointments in the series for Harbhajan was his batting in the tight Mohali Test, where he lasted only three deliveries in two innings. “I was really upset. I have been working hard on my batting,” he said. “In the second innings, I got out to the second ball. I was really angry with myself and that was the time we needed a partnership to win that game. I didn’t remove my pads and was sitting with my pads on until India got the victory.”Harbhajan, who struggled with swine flu in Sri Lanka, said he had trouble with his shin in the lead-up to the Australia series. “I developed pain in my shin [while preparing for the Australia series],” he said. “My physio told me, ‘if you keep on playing with it, you might develop stress fracture’. Shin is where you can’t even have injection, but still I had to play, so I went ahead with pain killers and am really happy that I survived the two games.”India’s next Test assignment is a home series against New Zealand after which lies a tough tour of South Africa, a country where they are yet to win a series. “South Africa in South Africa will be very challenging. The wickets and conditions are different there,” Harbhajan said. “The boys are pretty confident; we have got the batting line-up to perform there, and a bowling outfit to take wickets there. We just need to have faith in our ability. If we can go on to win the series in South Africa, that will be a big achievement.”