All posts by h716a5.icu

Aftab Ahmed

Mohammad Isam15-Jan-2013The extent to which a player can go off the radar even in the small world of Bangladesh cricket is personified by Aftab Ahmed, the batsman earmarked for greatness only five years ago but who hasn’t played international cricket since March 2010. Such has been his downturn in fortune, Aftab is merely eyeing a regular place in the Chittagong Kings side in this season’s BPL.”I have to target a place in the playing eleven, this is my first objective,” Aftab said. “If I can make it then I have a plan, which I want to execute. I was a bit shaky in the last BPL but then I thought of shrugging away the shakiness and playing with freedom. I have to do something different otherwise I have no chance of cementing my place.”Between 2004 and 2008, Aftab was one of the most feared strikers of the ball. A free-flowing strokeplayer on the off side, his ability to clear the infield was always breathtaking, though like Mohammad Ashraful he was also susceptible to poor shots. What contributed to his downfall was his lax attitude towards fitness and doing the extra bit in the nets, surprising for a player so dependent on hitting the ball sweetly, and for one of the country’s best fielders inside the circle.And, surprisingly for a cricketer of this day and age, he is candid when he agrees that it has been his lethargy that has kept him out of the limelight for such a long time. “Laziness has got the better of me,” he said. “Even though I try very hard to overcome laziness, even then I have a tough time succeeding. This is the truth, no point lying.”I feel bad sometimes. When I was an established member of the national team, I saw several players making their debut. The same players are now far ahead of me in the pecking order and I am a bit detached from everyone else. So it is normal for me to feel bad.”Aftab was part of the Dhaka Warriors team that took off from the mainstream and joined the Indian Cricket League in 2008. He returned two years later, but was not even half the player he had left as. Those close to him said that his poor work ethic earlier in his career fitted well with the relaxed attitude with which he played in the ICL, eroding his skills further.His plans now centre on domestic cricket, and he has hinted that his career is nearing the end, though he is only 27. “I have no plans as far as making it to the national team is concerned. Whether it is one or two years, I want to enjoy myself before going out from the game,” he said. “Recently, I scored two fifties in the National Cricket League so I want to bow out properly from the domestic circuit before anything else.”What Aftab will enjoy, however, will be playing for Chittagong, his hometown, and in a format he is made for, despite a poor showing in the first BPL with Dhaka Gladiators, when he made just six runs in three innings.”I only got one opportunity last time with Dhaka Gladiators and I did not make full use of it. I was shaky and thought about things too much,” Aftab said. “This hampered my progress. But this time, I am not putting any thoughts in my head. If I get one game, then so be it. I will only enjoy myself.”

The groupings for the tournament held in the subcontinent were approved on the second day of the ICC Board meeting in Johannesburg

Cricinfo staff07-Oct-2009India and Pakistan, Australia and South Africa find themselves in different groups for the 2011 World Cup. The groupings for the tournament, to be held in the subcontinent, were approved on the second day of the ICC board meeting in Johannesburg. The 14 teams have been divided into two groups of seven.The competition will be shorter than its 2007 version, with the ICC revealing a new format that will reduce the number of games from 51 to 49, and possibly lessen the duration by at least a week. The 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean was criticised for dragging on too long; it had lasted for six weeks with the 16 participating teams divided into groups of four, and had two teams from each progressing to the Super Eights stage.”We’re on record as saying that we acknowledged that 2007 might have been longer than desired. So we want to take a week off, if not more,” Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, said after the meeting. “We wanted to get the balance correct. We had one proviso that we would not have wanted more than two of the subcontinent teams in any one group. The rest depends on where you stand in the rankings and you use the formula that allocates the teams, dependent on your positioning in the ranking tables.”David Morgan, the ICC president, added: “We’re already certain that it will be shorter. You can be sure that we at the ICC had learnt from past mistakes. I mean there is no doubt that the ICC World Cup in the Caribbean was unsuccessful in some aspects.”At the meeting, the ICC also lauded the success of the World Cup’s miniature version, the ICC Champions Trophy, which had earlier won the endorsement of Ricky Ponting and Daniel Vettori. “I think most experts of the game and the opinion-makers are now convinced the ICC Champions Trophy definitely has a place in the cricket calendar,” Morgan said. “It also gives me immense pleasure to say the quality of cricket we have seen in the last 14 days proves that 50-over format can comfortably co-exist with the traditional five-day Test and the short 20-over formats.”Groups for the 2011 World CupGroup A – Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Canada, Kenya.Group B – India, South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland, Netherlands.

The Bangladeshi spinners, led by Mahmudullah, had a field day to bowl out West Indies for 237 on the opening day’s play in Grenada

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera17-Jul-2009Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outMahmudullah took three wickets as West Indies struggled against spin yet again•Associated PressThe Bangladesh spinners, led by Mahmudullah, had a field day to bowl out West Indies for 237 on the opening day’s play in Grenada. West Indies had got off to a bright start, courtesy an attacking fifty from Dale Richards, but Mahmudullah seized back the initiative with a clutch of wickets. West Indies rallied back through a gritty 95 from Travis Dowlin but West Indies have a lot of running to do in this Test. By close of play, Bangladesh had reached 35 for the loss of Imrul Kayes.West Indies started well with a dashing knock from Richards and ended well with a fighting partnership between Dowlin and Ryan Austin. It was the interim phase where they played some poor cricket that led to their downfall, though. At least four batsmen fell to lame shots: Omar Phillips and Chadwick Walton threw their wickets away, Ryan Hinds played a loose drive, and David Bernard fell to a tame cut shot. You would have expected more commitment from a team trying to save the series. Even Richards’ was a soft dismissal and through this series, the captain Floyd Reifer has looked out of his depth against spin. Bangladesh cashed in and how.On a damp pitch that delayed the start by 30 minutes, Shakib Al Hasan chose to bowl and even the visitors must have been surprised at the spin track laid out for them by the curator. Shakib used himself and Enamul Haque jnr for lengthy spells, choosing to use Mahmudullah in short bursts. The West Indies start would have worried him, though.West Indies were cruising at 104 for 1 when Mahmudullah lured Richards, who had just hit a six, to drive loosely back to him by dragging back the length a touch. Two balls later, he induced the same mistake from Hinds to lead Bangladesh’s revival. Mahmudullah’s art is not a complicated one; there aren’t any bamboozling doosras, just some steady off spin and it has been working like a treat in this series. The visitors tightened the noose in the second session on a slow pitch and it was Mahmudullah again who started the damage post lunch. He got one to rip from the leg stump to trap Floyd Reifer in front.Bernard joined Dowlin to wage a grim battle against the spinners but Bernard, who was batting serenely, continuing with his good form from the previous Test, cut a short delivery from Shakib straight to point to surrender his wicket cheaply. Enamul joined the party by catching Darren Sammy plumb in front and had Walton drive impetuously to mid-on.Only Dowlin stood firm. He hails from Guyana and has obviously played a lot of spin. Unlike some of his team-mates, he was willing to play a patient game, nudging and defending his way out of trouble. When a bad ball came along he put it away with his sweeps and cuts but for the majority of time, he was caution personified. The best shot was a deft late-cut boundary against Enamul when the ball skidded on quickly. The left-arm spinners tried to get him out lbw and he did have a few nervous moments in the second session, but managed to stab the ball away. Post tea, he batted serenely to slowly lift West Indies out of the hole but eventually ran out of partners. He hit a six to reach 94 but fell immediately, trying to clear cover.The morning’s play couldn’t have been more contrasting as Richards drove, cut and pulled his way to an attacking half-century. The seamers – Shahadat Hossain and Rubel Hossain – tried to hit the full length on a damp pitch but there wasn’t much seam movement on offer and Richards took full toll. He started with couple of fluent drives and a smashing pull against Rubel before lifting the same bowler to the long-on boundary. He tried to impose himself against the spinners as well. He cut and pulled but the highlight was a lofted hit over long-on against Shakib. He looked good when he got on to the front foot against spin, and had a few iffy moments when he went back to arm-deliveries from Shakib and Enamul.Phillips, the other opener, played a strange little innings. He was a pale shadow of the batsman who made the highest score for West Indies in the last Test. He didn’t look too comfortable against seam or spin, and played some poor cricket to get out. He had just been dropped at mid-on but he tried to go for another big shot in the same over and holed out to deep midwicket. It was the beginning of the collapse.

Newcastle fan favourite Allan Saint-Maximin has revealed that everyone at St. James’ Park felt ‘disappointed’ when the owners visited to share the news that Steve Bruce had been sacked.

The Lowdown: Bye bye Bruce

Bruce’s departure was confirmed on Wednesday, after taking charge of his 1,000th game in management last weekend, falling to another defeat against Tottenham.

The 60 year-old certainly can’t argue this wasn’t coming, winning just 28 of 97 games with the Magpies, a measly 29 per cent winning rate.

Of course, that worrying record doesn’t mean the manager didn’t have some positive influence on Tyneside, and perhaps the biggest silver lining of his tenure was the emergence of Saint-Maximin.

The Latest: Saint-Maximin reveals all

The 24 year-old shared a heartfelt thank you message to his gaffer on Twitter this week, before speaking to Sky Sports (via Football Daily) about the mood in the dressing room.

“It was a bad day, so they didn’t come in like ‘we enjoy, Steve Bruce is sacked’, that’s not what happened.

“Everyone feels disappointed and even the owner, to be honest, about what’s happened.

“So they just talked about the situation at the moment, they said if we need anything to make everything better, we just have to talk, because at the moment we need to feel comfortable.”

The Verdict: Fonseca time?

There is no question Saint-Maximin has thrived under the tutelage of Bruce, regardless of the manager’s poor record on Tyneside. The dazzling winger had never been able to add consistency to his game in France, but has bagged two goals and three assists in eight top flight appearances this season.

That said, the only way the club can feel ‘comfortable’ again is if they start putting points on the board, something they will look to kick-start at Crystal Palace this weekend when Graeme Jones leads them to Selhurst Park.

The rumour mill is heating up with new manager links too, with Paulo Fonseca seemingly the front runner at the moment.

And, given that the Portuguese tactician was hailed as ‘one of the greatest coaches I’ve had in football’ by Euro 2020 winner Alessandro Florenzi, perhaps he will have the perfect man-management style to continue to bring the best out of Saint-Maximin.

In other news, the KSA consortium are already eyeing up a ‘fantastic striker’ who Shearer loves! Find out more here…

Struggling Cricket Canada has been dealt a major blow with the news that Scotiabank, its main sponsor, has terminated its three-year contract early

Cricinfo staff02-Nov-2009Struggling Cricket Canada has been dealt a major blow with the news that Scotiabank, its main sponsor, has terminated its three-year contract early because of what it claims is “unsatisfactory performance” by the board.The deal is coming to the end of its first year and while on the field Canada’s performances have been improving, the conduct of the board continues to cause concern. A letter from Scotiabank to recently-appointed CEO Chandra Gocool did not deal in specifics, merely stating that the decision had been made “after careful review and analysis of the cost/benefit, the various program deliverables” and also a review of the board’s “internal/public challenges, and its future direction”.Although Scotiabank will honour the first year of the contract in full, the second and third years were worth around US$500,000. Given the withdrawal of such a high-profile sponsor and the well-documented problems within Canadian cricket’s administration, it will prove hard to find a replacement, certainly in the short term.One source was quoted in the media as warning the loss of Scotiabank would seriously impact on all levels of cricket, from the national team right through to the grass-roots game.

After previous reports revealed that Liverpool have an interest in signing Torino centre-back Gleison Bremer, it seems as though the Merseyside club could be getting their hands on the defender for a fairly low price in the near future.

What’s the latest?

It has recently been reported by Italian media outlet Calciomercato (via Sport Witness) that Bremer could be available to sign for a fee of around €8-10m (£6.7m-£8.4m).

Since joining Torino back in the 2018 summer transfer window from Brazilian club Atletico Mineiro, the 24-year-old, who is currently valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, has made 86 appearances for the Serie A club across all competitions. In that time, he has scored 11 goals and provided four assists, which is a decent return for a defender.

So far this season, Bremer has played in all but one of Torino’s Serie A games, showing how important he is to their side. Furthermore, the Brazilian has racked up an average of 3.9 interceptions and 3.2 clearances per game in the league so far this season, proving himself a vital defensive unit for the club.

His latest appearance saw him make three clearances, seven interceptions and two tackles in Torino’s recent 1-0 defeat against AC Milan, ultimately earning himself an overall match rating of 7/10. That made him their highest-rated defender on the day according to SofaScore as he showcased his defensive talents.

Taking all this into account, we feel that a potential transfer swoop for the defender is something that Liverpool should definitely be considering, especially if they can get him for the fairly low price range being mentioned in this latest report.

Potential Van Dijk partnership?

If Bremer were to move to Anfield, we feel that he could have a very exciting partnership with current Reds defender Virgil van Dijk, who proven himself to be an attacking threat from the defence in the same way Bremer has at Torino, with 13 goals and seven assists under his belt at Liverpool.

Also, with Van Dijk signing a new contract extension at Anfield over the summer, we feel that if Bremer plays with the Dutchman, he could probably learn a lot from the 30-year-old and develop his own game based on how much playing experience Van Dijk has, making him a potential dream signing for the Reds if they pull it off.

In other news: Possession lost 21x: “Dangerous” Liverpool lightweight badly let Klopp down against Preston

Leeds United director of football, Victor Orta, is attracting interest ahead of the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Football Insights (via Leeds Live), who suggest that Newcastle United have been discussing a potential move to appoint the Spaniard as their new director of football ahead of the upcoming winter market.

Leeds Live continue to claim that, although it is unclear how serious these reported talks were, the Magpies’ interest in Orta is a stark reminder that the club may well have a fight on their hands to not only keep hold of their most talented players but also a number of their backroom team.

In their tweet, Football Insights stated: “Internally, Newcastle Utd have discussed Victor Orta as a potential DoF candidate.”

Disaster

Since being appointed at Elland Road back in May of 2017, Orta has had a remarkable role in transforming a midtable Championship side into one that finished in the top half of the Premier League last season.

Indeed, the director of football has done a fantastic job in continually reinventing the Leeds United playing squad, having signed a number of highly impressive players over his first two seasons with the club, including the likes of Mateusz Klich, Patrick Bamford and Jack Harrison, all of whom helped the club achieve promotion to the top flight and are now worth considerably more than the fees the club paid for their services.

This is a feat Orta has managed to repeat since the club’s promotion to the Premier League, with perhaps the Spaniard’s most impressive piece of business being the £16.74m signing of Raphinha – who is now being linked with a €60m (£51m) move to either Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City or Chelsea.

The director has also overseen massive investment in the club’s youth side, securing deals for some of the most exciting young players in the game, such as Joe Gelhardt, Sam Greenwood and Crysencio Summerville.

Furthermore, Orta also played a huge role in bringing legendary manager Marcelo Bielsa to the club, with the Whites’ chairman, Andrea Radrizzani, personally thanking him for his work in securing the Argentine coach, stating: “I would like to thank Victor Orta and Angus Kinnear for all of the hard work that has gone into this appointment.”

Radrizzani is not the only person to recognise Orta’s work at Elland Road, with the former Leeds United midfielder, David Norris, stating of the director of football: “He deserves massive credit. They must do loads of research, background checks, watch the players and find out all their personal stuff to make sure they’re the right fit for the club. Orta is a massive part of that so a lot of credit will go to him when it comes to the players coming in.”

As such, considering his importance to the way Leeds currently operate, if the Spaniard were to move onto pastures new in the near future, it would undoubtedly be a colossal disaster for the club, as they would practically have to start their current process all over again.

In other news: Bielsa can save Radz millions with “different” Leeds teen who reminds Orta of Aguero

Everton’s academy is steeped in history, especially over the last 20 years where it’s flourished significantly.

The Toffees have brought through the likes of Wayne Rooney and Ross Barkley but in recent years, cracks are starting to emerge.

Thierry Small left the club after rejecting a new contract and refusing to train while they have also lost Mohamed-Ali Cho to French football and he’s already beginning to make waves in Ligue 1.

Despite this, Rafa Benitez has been keen to blood the new generation.

Lewis Dobbin made his first-team debut against Norwich, joining the impressive Jarrad Branthwaite and Anthony Gordon in earning senior minutes this season.

Gordon has particularly impressed and after a vibrant cameo against QPR, featured vs the Canaries in Everton’s 2-0 win on Saturday.

The winger was incredibly lively in their Carabao Cup defeat a few days prior, completing more key passes (4) than any other player on the field.

He will be seen as an example for the rest of Everton’s hot talent coming through the system at Finch Farm.

We’ve already tipped Charlie Whitaker and Ellis Simms for breakthroughs but another player who should be on Benitez’s radar is Stanley Mills.

The son of former England international, Danny Mills, the attacking midfielder is a vibrant player with enormous technical abilities.

Crucially, the 17-year-old is held in high esteem by David Unsworth too.

Speaking about the best talents in the academy, he commented: “Our Youth Cup team this year should be really strong with the likes of Charlie Whitaker, Lewis Dobbin, Reece Welch, Isaac Price, Luke Butterfield and Stan Mills. They are players who we feel have got great potential and they are already playing in the u-23s at the start of their second year of scholarship.”

Possessing the ability to play centrally or out wide, he could be the player to watch alongside Gordon in the coming years.

Just imagine the sight of Mills running rampant down one side while Gordon goes to town down the other.

Supporters always relish seeing young players doing well and that should be no different for the teenager in question.

A speedy and agile dribbler, Mills also has an element of poise and grace to his game as well. Describing the midfielder after he signed a new deal, the Everton website read:

“A quick, intelligent and composed midfield player, Mills has also shown impressive resilience and determination to battle back from a serious knee injury to establish himself as an important player for Everton Under-18s.”

Since that review, he has gone on to play at a higher age bracket, even featuring in the EFL Trophy against Morecambe.

During that clash, the teen played on the right where he managed one key pass and was involved in a mighty 21 defensive duels, prevailing in ten of them.

Matches like that against senior professionals will only help his development and hopefully, turn him into the future star Everton know he can be.

AND in other news, Brands masterclass: “Selfish” dud sees value collapse by £12.6m after leaving Everton…

Dilhara Fernando, the Sri Lanka fast bowler, has been ruled out of the remainder of the series against Pakistan after sustaining an arm injury

Cricinfo staff07-Aug-2009Dilhara Fernando, the Sri Lanka fast bowler, has been ruled out of the remainder of the series against Pakistan after sustaining an arm injury.Sri Lanka manager Brendon Kuruppu said Fernando injured his right arm while fielding in the third one-dayer against Pakistan in Dambulla and will be out for at least two weeks.”Clinical tests and MRF scans confirmed a grade-two tear on his right teres major muscle in the posterior part of his right shoulder,” Kuruppu said. “Dilhara’s recovery will be monitored by the team management.”Fernando, who didn’t play in the fourth ODI, has been replaced by another fast bowler Dammika Prasad in the one-day squad.

Manchester United are reportedly set to make a move for a new right-back in the January window after missing out on first-choice target Kieran Trippier over the summer.

What’s the story?

The Red Devils were heavily linked with a move for Trippier, but Atletico Madrid refused to accept a bid below the 30-year-old’s £34m asking price, putting an end to any negotiations.

As a result, United’s hierarchy has drawn up a shortlist of alternative options as they look to add cover and competition for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, with Rangers pair James Tavernier and Nathan Patterson potential candidates, according to 90min.

However, another name on Solskjaer’s wishlist is believed to be Norwich City’s highly-rated full-back Max Aarons.

The report states that: “Another player on United’s radar is Norwich City’s Max Aarons, who neighbourhood rivals Manchester City have been following closely for a long time.

“United’s scouting team already put a dossier together on him, which reads very positively for the England Under-21 international.”

Manchester United must swoop

Aarons has established himself as one of English football’s most exciting young full-backs over the last couple of campaigns after rising through the ranks at boyhood club Norwich.

Since making his debut for the Canaries back in 2018, the £19.8m-rated beast has made 137 appearances in all competitions, scoring five goals and providing 13 assists along the way.

His outstanding displays at club level has earned Aarons 12 caps for Englands U21 side, and he’s long been linked with a transfer away from Carrow Road, but his former national team boss Aidy Boothroyd revealed the speculation has not affected the youngster.

“He’s an unassuming guy,” said Boothroyd. “All the speculation would get to most people, but it hasn’t to him. He gives 100 percent in training and matches, in all the games I’ve seen him at Norwich he’s been outstanding and had a real energy and go about him.

“So that transfer talk hasn’t affected him or appears not to have, and he’s been great here. He just gets on with it. I think he’s a really big talent and again, like a lot of the players here, he’s nowhere near finished in his development.”

Although United’s current right-back Wan-Bissaka is extremely competent in a defensive sense, the 23-year-old has often struggled in the final third of the pitch, producing just managed 0.2 shots and 0.7 key passes per match in his career so far.

As a result, the Old Trafford outfit must swoop for Aarons over the winter window ahead of their domestic rivals, providing Solskjaer with an extra attack-minded option at full-back.

And, in other news…Murtough must sanction Man Utd swoop for £114k-p/w dynamo, he has “incredible quality”