Tag Futebol

One over-30 wicket-keeper will replace another for the Kenya leg ofthe imminent West Indies tour of Zimbabwe and Kenya.Courtney Browne, 30, takes over from Ridley Jacobs, 33, emphasisingthe absence of obvious young candidates at present.Browne is one of two changes to the 16 for Kenya where the team willplay two four-day matches and three One-Day Internationals.The other brings in 21-year-old left-arm wrist spinner Dave Mohammedfor his first tour in place of fellow Trinidadian Dinanath Ramnarine.Chairman of selectors Mike Findlay did not say who would substitute ifeither Jacobs or Browne is injured. It is a calculated gamble but onethat could well backfire.Last year, Findlay identified Wavell Hinds as a possible choice afterJacobs was originally the only chosen keeper for the tour of England.But then Wayne Phillip, the 22-year-old Dominican, was seconded tofill the post.In the event, Hinds never had to be called on. He is again in thesquad for the triangular one-day series with India and Zimbabwe, whileLeon Garrick, his fellow Jamaican who takes his place for the Tests,has kept at club level.Jacobs was also the sole keeper on the preceding tour of New Zealandand played in both Tests and all five One-Day Internationals.Findlay acknowledged yesterday that the choice of Jacobs, who hasplayed his 31 Tests and 79 One-Day Internationals in succession, andBrowne (13 Tests, 12 internationals) was indicative of the dearth ofyoung keepers.On this tour, we would have loved to have had a young keeper but thereality is we don’t have one we felt was ready yet , he said.The disappointing thing is that every time we see a young keeper wholooks promising, after a couple of years he falls back instead ofgoing forward.Findlay, himself a former Windward Islands keeper who played 10 Testsfor the West Indies between 1969 and 1973, placed Jamaicans Shane Fordand Matthew Sinclair, in that category.They were chosen for representative teams against touring teams buthave since lost their places in the Jamaica team.Phillip and 21-year-old Jamaican Keith Hibbert are both at the ShellAcademy in Grenada and Findlay hoped they would emerge from that asthe keepers of the future.Phillip looked quite good when he went to England and filled in forJacobs in some county matches on last year’s tour of England, he said.But something seemed to go wrong along the way and he hasn’tprogressed as we hoped.Hibbert made an impression in last year’s Red Stripe Bowl with bothhis batting and his keeping but, according to Findlay, they fell awayduring the Busta International Series.They are both young enough that they can come on with the propertraining and attitude, he said.

Joe Hart, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Tom Rogic stood out in Celtic’s huge 2-1 victory away to Rangers on Sunday afternoon.

Ange Postecoglou’s side faced a massive trip to Ibrox, knowing that victory would take them six points clear of their rivals at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

Celtic did exactly that, falling behind to Aaron Ramsey’s early strike but eventually turning the game on its head thanks to goals from Rogic and Carter-Vickers.

According to Sofascore, there were three Hoops heroes who stood out on the day, and we’ve taken a deeper look through their numbers to get the beat on Ange’s star men, who won a combined 14 duels and made ten clearances.

Hart – 7.3/10

Hart started between the sticks and he produced an immaculate performance, on a day when Celtic’s backs were against the wall in the second half.

The veteran goalkeeper made three saves inside the penalty area, proving to be a constant thorn in Rangers’ side and showing all of his experience, with the low save to deny Fashion Sakala late on particularly impressive.

Hart made five saves overall, in what was arguably one of his best performances in a Hoops shirt.

Carter-Vickers – 7.7/10

Carter-Vickers received the highest rating at Ibrox, following a magnificent display at the heart of the defence.

The 24-year-old made a monstrous nine clearances in a season-defining encounter, as well as winning seven out of nine aerial duels and making three interceptions.

There was also the small matter of Carter-Vickers scoring the winning goal, firing home low like a seasoned striker.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-23/” title=”Celtic updates!!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Rogic – 7.4/10

Rogic was Celtic’s other goalscorer on the day, equalising early on to silence the Ibrox crowd, and he only grew from that moment onwards.

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

---

Subscribe

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

The Australian was an influential presence in midfield, winning six out of ten ground duels and successfully completing three out of five dribbles.

Rogic also made one tackle, as he thrived both on and off the ball.

In other news, an expert has dropped a key Celtic injury claim. Read more here.

Jeremy Snape will team up with his England Twenty20 team-mate, Dimitri Mascarenhas, after joining the Rajasthan Royals franchise as a performance coach for the forthcoming Indian Premier League.Snape, 34, has made a name for himself as a Twenty20 specialist since the format was first piloted in England in 2003, and he has helped his Leicestershire team to each of the first four finals days, including the title in 2004. On the strength of these performances, he was selected for September’s inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa.The news comes a day after the chairman of the England & Wales Cricket Board, Giles Clarke, hardened his stance against English participation in the IPL, but a statement from Snape’s county side said: “Leicestershire are very supportive of his involvement and are sure that he can pass on the experiences gained in India to our younger players, particularly, in our Twenty20 campaign.”Snape will miss four county games during his stint with Rajasthan; the Friends Provident Trophy tie against Northamptonshire followed by the first three rounds of the County Championship. Apart from Mascarenhas, he will be playing alongside the likes of Shane Warne and Justin Langer.

It will be a big step up from State Championship final to World Cup Super Eights for Hamish Marshall © Getty Images

On Monday, Hamish Marshall was batting for Northern Districts in New Zealand’s domestic State Championship final. On Wednesday, he was in Antigua preparing to bat at No. 3 in New Zealand’s Super Eights match against West Indies a day later.Marshall said it had been a hectic week after he was called up to replace Lou Vincent, who broke his wrist, in the 15-man squad. “There’s a bit of excitement,” he told AFP.”It’s always nice to get to a new country so I’ve been staying up reasonably late but I got to sleep last night and got eight hours in. I had a schedule that [the fitness trainer] Warren Frost had given me – when to sleep and when not to – and I stuck to that.”Marshall was dropped from the New Zealand team in January after reaching double-figures only twice from eight ODIs since the start of the Champions Trophy. However, his domestic form has been strong and on Monday his unbeaten 80 helped Northern Districts win the State Championship title.”It’s nice to be here, a little bit of a shock and I’m disappointed for Lou,” Marshall said. “It’s an opportunity for me and it’s just nice to be over here. The batting’s been going well for ND and playing some cricket in a team that’s winning is also pretty handy. To get some runs myself has been good for my confidence.”Marshall said facing up to West Indies on Thursday would be a huge challenge having only just arrived in the Caribbean. “It’s a quick turnaround but it’s part of the job,” he said. “I knew that was going to happen when I was coming over.”Mentally and physically there’s not a lot you can do, just get as much rest as possible and hydrate and eat well – that sort of thing. Mentally the key is to get on track to play a game which is pretty important for us at the start of the Super Eights.”Marshall’s appearance at No. 3 is not the only change to the New Zealand top order, with Peter Fulton set to open with Stephen Fleming. A win for New Zealand would put them well on the way to a semi-final berth.

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

Daren Ganga: calmed the nerves on a rain-marred day © Getty Images

A day truncated first by a wet outfield and then bad light ended saw only 27.2 overs being bowled at Napier as West Indies reached 95 for 1 thanks to sensible knocks from Daren Ganga and Brian Lara. West Indies may have been happy to have been saved by rain in the first two Tests which they lost, but their last shot at redemption was seriously jolted in the final Test.When Stephen Fleming won the toss and chose to put West Indies in at 3pm, with 47 overs to play, he held all the aces. Shane Bond had recovered fully from his illness and was firing on all cylinders, the skies were overcast and the outfield damp and slow. It was the condition of the outfield that had delayed the start of play in the first place, leaving both sides hanging. Despite all this, though, Chris Gayle and Ganga began well, as they have done more than once in this series.Gayle in particular disregarded the 0-2 Test series scoreline, coming on the back of a 1-4 hiding in the ODIs, and played some sumptuous strokes. He drove through the off side well and played his favourite pick-up shot through the on side with ease, only occasionally struggling against the pace and bounce of Shane Bond. Gayle had struck five boundaries in his 30 when a moment of indiscretion cost him his wicket. He punched Chris Martin on the up towards short cover where Peter Fulton was placed for just such a shot.After Gayle’s error in judgment a determined Lara knuckled down and blunted the New Zealand bowling. Defensive for the best part, Lara moved exaggeratedly in his crease getting right behind the line of the ball. He was able to handle the pace of Bond quite well and even unfurled an attractive cover-drive, full flourish of the MRF bat sending the ball screaming to the cover fence.Fleming, leading New Zealand for the 75th time in Tests, behind only Allan Border the former Australian great who led his team 93 times, sensed that his main fast bowlers were not getting much assistance from the conditions and threw the ball to Nathan Astle who bowled a tight line and length and kept one end very quiet. He troubled Lara with his nagging line, getting in a good lbw shout from which Lara was only saved by the height. When tea was taken, after 22 overs of play, Lara was on 17 while Ganga had reached 23 in West Indies’ 75 for 1.Soon after a tea break which both team really could have done without, considering the fact that they were cooling their heels in the dressing-room for the best part of two sessions, West Indies pressed on. They consciously looked to put runs on the board, and this almost resulted in a second wicked when Lara pushed Bond to gully and set off. Fortunately for the West Indies the shy at the stumps missed and Lara lived to battle on. He slapped Bond over point for a boundary, and two balls later, when the light was offered, the batsmen accepted it. Lara was on 28 and Ganga on 31, the second wicket partnership of 58 pushing West Indies along to 95 for 1, the score on which stumps were drawn soon after when the light situation failed to improve.

Chris Gayle c Fulton b Martin 30 (37 for 1)

David Dawson joins the Academy after impressing with Tasmania © Getty Images

Three first-class players were inducted into the 18th intake of the Australian Academy at Allan Border Field today. James Packman, the New South Wales batsman who played in the Pura Cup final victory, Tasmania’s David Dawson and Ryan Harris, from South Australia, were part of the 23-man squad that opened with an exhibition match in Brisbane.The players in the Australian Institute of Sport program will undergo a 13-week course that has been used by 67 cricketers on the way to international honours. James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, said the Commonwealth Bank Centre of Excellence was a pivotal component for Australia’s aspiring cricketers. “It forms an integral part of the pathway to help these talented players refine their skills and prepare for the next step in their career,” he said. “For some that may culminate in representing their country.”Since the course started in 1988 there have been 240 inductees and 72.5% have reached first-class level while 30 have played Tests. Shane Watson was the last Academy graduate to figure in a Test while James Hopes, the Queensland allrounder, is the most recent one-day international representative. At the end of the two training blocks in July a 14-man squad will be picked for a three-week tour to Bangalore and Chennai.

Richard Davis, the only cricketer to have appeared for five counties, has died aged 37 after a long battle against brain cancer.Davis, known throughout the game as Dickie, began his career as a slow left-arm spinner with Kent, before going on to play for Gloucestershire, Sussex (in one-day cricket only), Warwickshire, and finally Leicestershire, for whom he played a one-off County Championship match in August 2001. It was 170th and final first-class appearance, and he signed off with six second-innings wickets.The highlight of Davis’s career came in 1994, when he was a member of Warwickshire’s treble-winning squad. Neil Smith, a friend and team-mate at Warwickshire, said: “He was thoughtful, caring and considerate – an honest and straightforward guy who will be sadly missed.”Davis had harboured hopes of moving into fulltime coaching – he was assistant coach to the England women’s team – but within two weeks of his final Championship appearance, he suffered a seizure and was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour. A second, more aggressive tumour was discovered in September this year.Davis leaves a wife, Sam, the sister-in-law of Kent’s captain David Fulton.

Nearly a month after England’s Ashes hopes were so summarily consumed within the vortex of the Fremantle Doctor, the hyperbolic reaction on both sides of the world has died down a little. Beyond that, the spirit England showed in their five-wicket defeat in the fourth Test in Melbourne has given new heart to their supporters on the threshold of a new year.

MichaelVaughan – 6 Test tons in 2002 Photo CricInfo

The Australian media love to belittle opponents of the Baggy Green – indeed on current form they have every justification – but England are often singled out for particular ridicule. This owes much to history. The Poms are the “Old Enemy”, after all. They dreamed up Bodyline, and have an imperial history that puts many opponents on their mettle. And let us not forget that they have repeatedly proved capable of winning the Ashes in the past.But at bottom this series has proved little that was not already clear. We knew this time last year that England were no match for Australia, and were one of several teams vying to be runners-up. Regardless of how the ICC Championship table may look a week into 2003, that title belongs to South Africa, whom England meet in the main home series of the coming year.The World Cup aside, the Proteas will present England with their primary challenge. In the recent past England have given New Zealand, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the West Indies at least a run for their money. Fingers in the camp will be crossed that there are no slip-ups in either of the two Tests against Zimbabwe that precede the South Africa series, or in the two that follow in Bangladesh.In the World Cup, England’s progress beyond their challenging group (which includes Australia, India and Pakistan) would be no mean achievement, and anything more would be seen as something of a triumph. In the VB Series so far Sri Lanka have looked like a team in eclipse, but England will undoubtedly have taken heart from their two wins as the countdown to South Africa progresses.

SteveHarmison – 2002 saw good progress Photo CricInfo

As to individuals, Michael Vaughan’s rocket-fuelled progression to world-class status has been much the most heartening, and entertaining, feature of 2002. Six centuries this year – two of them against Australia – have propelled him into the top ten of the world rankings, and many would select him (I certainly would) as Matthew Hayden’s opening partner in a putative World XI. What a joy to be able to categorise an England batsman in such a way!Marcus Trescothick was due a poor trot, and the Australians are always favourites to induce one. So too Mark Butcher, but these two, along with their combative captain, should continue to provide England’s batting bedrock for the foreseeable future. John Crawley’s injury has impeded his bid to secure a place, while Robert Key has gained priceless experience. But if Graham Thorpe hits early form in April, the door should not be closed to him for long.Less than two years after Darren Gough and Andy Caddick were hailed as England’s best new-ball pairing since Trueman and Statham, injury threatens the career of one while the sands of time may be running out for the other. Much encouragement should therefore be derived from Steve Harmison’s progress and Jimmy Anderson’s emergence in Australia. Above all it is to be hoped that Simon Jones can make a full recovery from that dreadful Brisbane setback.Alec Stewart continues to provide much-needed balance, although James Foster showed increased maturity both behind the stumps and with the bat when he deputised at Melbourne. Craig White proved a worthy replacement for Andrew Flintoff, whose full recovery, delayed for so long, cannot come a moment too soon. Ashley Giles’ injury handed the toughest of assignments to Richard Dawson, but he too will benefit from the experience.So how does the 2002 ledger stand? Tests – played 14, won four, lost six, drawn four. As last year, if you take Australia out it doesn’t look anything like so bad, but it provides stark emphasis of how much England need to improve if they really are to be the best in the world in four years’ time. One-dayers – played 24, won 11, lost 12, one no result. Not a score to excite the World Cup bookies perhaps, but no disgrace. What England need in this form of the game is more practice.

South Africa turned in a controlled performance that sent a warning to the teams they have still to meet in the CricInfo Women’s World Cup that they are coming into form in the latter part of the tournament.The match against Sri Lanka had virtually everything – early solid defence, defiant late aggression, controlled bowling, bursts of excellent fielding, an overload of run outs and dissatisfaction with the umpiring.South Africa produced the first surprise of the day, putting Sri Lanka in after winning the toss. However, the coach, Rodney Willemberg, said they wanted to take advantage of what they believed was a tendency among the Sri Lankans to succumb under pressure.So it proved. Through tight bowling from Kim Price (10-4-14-1), Helen Davies (8-1-16-1), Nolubabalo Ndzundzu (10-6-14-1) and Alison Hodgkinson (4-1-9-0), the Sri Lankan top order appeared devoid of attacking shots or an ability to push the ball around for quick singles.By 30 overs, they had crawled to 43 for three and yet another score of under 100 in the tournament seemed a definite possibility. However, the Sri Lankans showed, like the other developing teams in this tournament, that they will fight to the end. So, with aggressive contributions from Champa Sugathadasa (21), Chandrika Lakmalee (21) and Ramani Perera (13 not out), they produced a score of 134 for nine, respectable given the early dearth of runs.But how many runs there might have been if that frailty under pressure that the South African coach had identified had not come to pass. Five wickets – including the last four – fell to run outs. The accurate South African fielding contributed – offered gifts have to be accepted – but the Sri Lankans were the architects of their own misfortune. In almost every incident, the ball was played directly to a fieldsman. But it seemed that the batsmen’s mindset demanded that the very action of bat on ball required that a run be taken. And so they went…..and went….and went…..And they did not go very happily either. Words were exchanged between “partners” as the hapless loser in what fast became a comedy of errors departed the scene. However, the Sri Lankan manager, Chandra Munaweera, acknowledging that her players get “excited,” was not convinced that all of the decisions should have gone against them.And she suggested that in calling wides and lbws against her team the umpires “have not been fair, not been just. I hope they will be in future matches.”However, she said her team had not fielded and bowled as well as they did in their defeat of Ireland and they had needed more runs. “If we had scored 150, we could have won.” What the match had demonstrated was the disadvantage the team was placed under through a lack of match practice.When South Africa batted, their top order gave a salutary lesson in how to rise above a slow early run rate. Tight Sri Lankan bowling restricted South Africa to 56 for two at 25 overs, but controlled batting by CricInfo Player of the Match for the second successive game, Daleen Terblanche (53 not out), and Helen Davies (24) in a third wicket partnership of 68 meant South Africa cruised to victory in the 46th over.Terblanche, fresh from being the rock while wickets fell around her against the Netherlands, earned her 50 with a mixture of controlled aggression and resolute defence.The South African coach said he was exceptionally happy with Terblanche but especially pleased that his top order had had time in the middle. “We have the batting strength and we are now starting to show it. The run rate is not going to be an issue in the final placings so it was more important that we get confidence with the bat.”We played decent cricket out there today.”Result: Sri Lanka 134 for nine; South Africa 135 for four. A win to South Africa by six wickets.

Glasgow Rangers are reportedly now behind in the race to sign Josh Stones this summer.

The Lowdown: Plotting move

It has previously been reported that the Teddy Bears are plotting a move to bring Stones to Ibrox, but face competition for his signature.

The striker is impressing at National League North side Guiseley, where he was scoring goals for fun earlier this term, while he also plays for England at youth level, and put in an ‘excellent‘ performance against Crystal Palace Academy last month after scoring in a 1-1 draw.

The Latest: Wigan ahead

As per Football Insider, Wigan Athletic are now leading the race to sign Stones ahead of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team, Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers.

A recruitment source has revealed that the Latics are in ‘pole position’, and are ‘favourites’ to agree a deal.

Stones ‘impressed’ during a training stint there, and the English League One club are now ‘keen’ to offer him a contract.

The Verdict: Blow

It is certainly a blow for the Teddy Bears that they now look set to miss out on Stones.

At just 18 years of age, he is clearly one for the future going by his plaudits so far and the intense interest in his services, and has already shown a lot of promise at youth level.

Stones was rewarded with a place on the bench in Guiseley’s FA Cup first-round game against League One side AFC Wimbledon back in November, who play three divisions above them, and so he is clearly destined for a good career in senior football.

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

---

Subscribe

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

Nonetheless, the Gers will now be hoping that it is not too late to persuade him to play in Scotland instead.

In other news, find out which RFC star could now be sold to the English Premier League here!