All posts by h716a5.icu

Cricket South Africa have announced the appointment of Russell Domingo as coach of the South Africa A side for both the four-day unofficial Test series and the one-dayers against Bangladesh A

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Mar-2011Cricket South Africa have announced the appointment of Russell Domingo as coach of the South Africa A side for both the four-day unofficial Test series and the one-dayers against Bangladesh A next month. This is Domingo’s second appointment as head coach of the A side, as he was also took the squad to Bangladesh last year.”Russell has emerged as one of the outstanding young coaches in our cricket structures,” said chief executive Gerald Majola. “He did a top-class job last year when he took a very young South Africa A side to Bangladesh where they won the four-day Test series and also a triangular one-day series that also included West Indies A.”Two of the players in that squad, Colin Ingram and David Miller, have gone on to represent the Proteas with distinction while the West Indies team they beat in the final included Devon Smith, Darren Bravo and Kirk Edwards of the current West Indies World Cup squad.”Russell has achieved great success with the Chevrolet Warriors both in terms of reaching and winning finals and in bringing young players through to maturity. This includes the likes of Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Wayne Parnell, Colin Ingram and Rusty Theron, who have become regular selections for the Proteas in the various formats, and the Smuts brothers who have just had outstanding Standard Bank Pro20 campaigns.”I would also like to thank the Chevrolet Warriors for making Russell available for this important position,” Majola concluded.

Celtic have been dealt a huge blow regarding the availability of Daizen Maeda.

What’s the latest?

According to a recent report by Sky Sports, the 24-year-old has been called up by Japan for their World Cup qualifying fixtures against China on January 27 and Saudi Arabia on February 1.

The report added that the centre-forward will duly miss league matches against Hearts and Dundee United, as well as the Old Firm clash on February 2. Ange Postecoglou will be left with only Giorgos Giakoumakis as an out-and-out centre-forward for this period, as Kyogo Furuhashi is also currently unavailable for selection due to injury.

Earlier reports had initially suggested that Celtic’s Japanese internationals could be set to remain in Glasgow for their country’s upcoming international fixtures, as their country’s government had imposed a ban on the entry of all foreigners, but it now appears that an exception has been made for Maeda.

Postecoglou will be fuming

Considering how impressive Maeda was for Celtic on his debut against Hibernian earlier this week, and that the 24-year-old’s impending departure means that Postecoglou will be left with only Giakoumakis as an option up front for the end of the month, it is sure to have left the 56-year-old manager fuming.

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Indeed, over his 74 minutes on the pitch against Hibs, the £1.44m-rated Japan ace scored one goal, found a team-mate with 80% of his passes, completed his one attempted dribble and made one interception. These returns saw the forward earn a SofaScore match rating of 7.3, ranking him as the Hoops’ fifth-best player to feature on the night.

As such, the fact that Celtic will be unable to call upon the Japanese hitman for three crucial fixtures in the coming weeks will undoubtedly come as a huge blow to the club’s hopes of picking up maximum points from the games in question. That could well have disastrous consequences for the Bhoys’ Premiership title hopes this season.

In other news: Postecoglou must finally unleash rarely-seen £4.95m-rated Celtic “leader” today, he’s a game-changer

The BCCI has terminated its IPL media license agreement with WSG (Mauritius) over the payment the Rs 425 crore-facilitation fee by MSM to WSG

Tariq Engineer and Nagraj Gollapudi30-Jun-2010The BCCI has terminated all its IPL media license agreements with sports marketing agency World Sports Group (Mauritius) over the payment of the Rs 425 crore-facilitation fee (about US$90m) by the parent company of the tournament’s Indian broadcast partner to WSG. The board claimed it was rightfully owed the money as the rights to the tournament were with the BCCI.Facilitation fee timeline

January 2008: BCCI sells worldwide IPL rights to WSG for over $1 billion for 10 years; MSM gets India rights for five years from WSG.
March 2009: IPL cancels its original deal with WSG and renegotiates a new nine-year deal worth $1.6 billion. MSM objects and takes IPL to court.
March 2009: IPL agrees to sell MSM the India rights. WSG agrees to relinquish the India rights for a facilitation fee of Rs 425 crores, but retains the international rights.
June 2010: BCCI learns of facilitation fee agreement with WSG; claims it should have been paid the fee instead. MSM agrees to pay the fee to BCCI.
June 2010: BCCI cancels all existing IPL rights deals with WSG.

In a letter sent to WSG India dated June 28th, a copy of which is with Cricinfo, board secretary N. Srinivasan reiterated that the BCCI knew nothing about the agreement between MSM (Satellite) PTE LTD and WSG and therefore could not be a party to it.”BCCI was never made aware of any agreement between MSM (Satellite) PTE LTD and your affiliate WSG (Mauritius) Limited for payment of facilitation fee to WSG (Mauritius) Limited,” the letter said. “This agreement titled as “Deed for the provision of facilitation services” was brought to our notice by MSM (Satellite) PTE LTD only recently and it was admitted to us by them than an amount of Rs 125 crores has in fact been paid by then to WSG (Mauritius) Limited. These amounts constituting so called facilitation fees are actually amounts due to the BCCI.”The facilitation fee arose out of the restructuring of the television rights deal following the first IPL. WSG India had originally bought the worldwide telecast rights of the IPL for ten years (2008 to 2017) at a cost of over $1 billion. Meanwhile MSM had secured the rights to broadcast in India for five years (2008 to 2012) from WSG and had the option of securing the rights for the remaining five years (2013-2017) by paying WSG an option fee of $25 million.However, the board cancelled the original rights deal in 2009 and renegotiated with WSG (Mauritius). But MSM did not want to renegotiate with WSG, preferring a direct contract with the board instead. The result was that MSM eventually signed a deal with the BCCI for the India rights at the same price and duration as WSG (Mauritius), in lieu of the latter relinquishing those rights. The eventual nine-year deal was worth Rs 8200 crores (US$1.6b) for both the India and international rights. Under its agreement with the BCCI, WSG still retained the international media rights for the IPL.Since WSG stepped aside, MSM apparently agreed to pay it a facilitation fee amounting to Rs 425 crores as compensation. It has already paid WSG Rs 125 crores and was to pay the balance over the next seven years.On discovering the payment, the board called it “improper” and has now reclaimed the IPL media rights originally sold to WSG. Meanwhile MSM agreed last week to pay the BCCI the facilitation fee of Rs 425 crores and has filed a suit in the Bombay High Court to recover the Rs 125 crores it has already paid to WSG.

According to Journalist Adam White (via Give Me Sport), Monaco midfielder Aleksandr Golovin ‘has the quality’ to replace James Rodríguez at Goodison Park.

The Lowdown: Golovin impressing in France

The Russian midfielder arrived at Monaco from boyhood-club CSKA Moscow, in a deal worth £27 million back in 2018. Golovin had established himself as one of the most exciting players in his native league, where he made 113 appearances for the Moscow-based side.

Since his arrival at the Ligue 1 club, the 25-year-old has left a similar impact on the Ligue 1, having scored 13 goals and produced 18 assists in 89 appearances in the competition.

More recently, Golovin has seriously illustrated his playmaking abilities. He currently averages 1.5 key passes per game this season – more than any other Monaco player, including the likes of Spanish playmaking legend Cesc Fabregas.

The Latest: White backs Golovin to replace James

The Athletic have previously reported that Everton boss Rafa Benitez is said to be an admirer of the 25 year-old, but the price tag could prove to be prohibitive for the Merseyside club.

However, with Rodriguez’s summer departure, Benitez could look to bring Golovin in as a direct replacement for the Colombian, in a bid for greater attacking threats at the club.

Speaking to Give Me Sport, White backed The Athletic’s links: “I think he certainly could (replace Rodriguez). I think he’s got the quality.”

The Verdict: Everton need attacking options

Following the acrimonious split between the Toffees and their south American creator, Benitez has been left without any natural attacking midfielders. This is a serious problem, with the Toffees currently struggling in the attacking-third, having won just one of their last six league games and scoring only 23 times in 18 league games this campaign.

Having made 45 appearances for his national team, Golovin could provide the attacking quality that Everton is looking for. He was hailed as ‘Russia’s Iniesta’ at the 2018 World Cup, and that creative flair could fill the void left by the former Real Madrid man.

White certainly thinks this could be an astute acquisition for Everton, but it remains to be seen whether the club will sanction a move for the player currently valued at £22.5m.

Celtic will be looking to continue their march towards the domestic treble this season as they play in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup today.

The Hoops face off against their arch-rivals in the clash at Hampden this afternoon as they compete for a place in the final of the competition.

Ange Postecoglou’s men have already secured the League Cup trophy this season and are currently six points clear at the top of the Premiership.

Their lead over Rangers in the league has put them in a terrific position to reclaim the title and they can now pile the misery on them with a win in this latest Old Firm matchup.

One change will be enforced upon the Australian head coach for this match as Gio Giakoumakis has been ruled out through injury.

This leaves a spot at the top end of the pitch and Kyogo Furuhashi must be unleashed from the start to take the Greek international’s place.

Ahead of the match, John Hartson has backed the forward to start: “I think he’ll be dying to get back on the scoresheet.

“He’s such an enthusiastic and quality player. What an impact he made before he got injured.”

This is not the first time the ex-Hoops striker has praised the Japan international, as he previously said:

“There is no doubt Celtic have landed someone quite special in Kyogo. His movement is outstanding.

“It was a pity he couldn’t get more involved against Rangers, but when he moved into the central role, he was an absolute menace to their defence.”

Postecoglou must heed his advice and start the centre-forward as he proved earlier in the season that he has a keen eye for goal. He has found the back of the net 16 times in 27 matches for the club in all competitions, including eight goals in 12 cup matches in the Europa League and League Cup.

Kyogo has also delivered 1.1 key passes per game and created four ‘big chances’ in the Premiership, which shows that he is able to link up the play and create openings for his teammates as well as scoring the goals.

This shows that he has the quality to be the difference-maker in this Old Firm clash. He has the ability to score goals at this level and will be able to punish Rangers if the Celtic midfield are able to provide him with the service he needs to do his damage in the final third.

AND in other news, Huge blow: Celtic dealt late Rangers injury setback, Ange Postecoglou will be fuming…

Ed Joyce has been cleared to represent Ireland at the World Cup in February next year after being granted a special dispensation by the ICC

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-2010Former England batsman Ed Joyce has been cleared to represent Ireland at the World Cup in February next year after being granted a special dispensation by the ICC. However, ex-New Zealand international Hamish Marshall’s request to be allowed to play has been denied, meaning he won’t be eligible to play for Ireland until April.Both players last played international cricket for their respective former countries at the 2007 edition of the World Cup, and under normal ICC regulations would not have become eligible to play for Ireland in official ODIs until April next year. Looking to strengthen their squad, Ireland asked the ICC earlier this year to allow a slight shortening of the usual four-year qualification period to allow both to take part in the World Cup.”Ed was granted permission for his four-year standout period to be slightly reduced so that he could compete in the World Cup,” explained an ICC spokesperson. “This was done on the basis of exceptional circumstances and the unique facts of his specific case, which included his Irish background and his very strong ties to Irish cricket from childhood up to senior national representation.””It’s obviously tremendous news,” said Joyce, who had already joined Ireland on a pre-World Cup training camp in India. “Playing for Ireland again is something I’ve given a lot of thought to over the last few years and to be given the opportunity to do so, a little earlier than expected and on the biggest stage, is absolutely fantastic.”Having seen the talent and work ethic of the squad over the last week or so in India, I feel Ireland will, once again, make a huge impact at the World Cup and I look forward to hopefully offering a lot to the team in the tournament and the whole of 2011.”Joyce, 32, was one of Ireland’s strongest batsmen at ICC Trophy level, scoring 758 runs in 14 matches between 2001 and 2005 at an average of 84.22. He had played in 50 games for Ireland – the last of which was in the ICC Trophy final against Scotland in July 2005 – before he switched allegiance to England and made his one-day international debut his former team at Belfast in June 2006.”It’s a huge boost to have Ed available for the World Cup, adding to the selectors’ headaches in an already strong squad – but that’s a nice problem to have,” said Ireland coach Phil Simmons. “Of course, it would have been fantastic to have both Ed and Hamish available, but it’s not to be.”I’ve seen first hand over the past 10 days here in Pune just what hard working and talented players both are. Their dediciation and professionalism is evident for all to see, and everyone has responded positively to their being with us. I feel very sorry for Hamish, but this squad will be at other big tournaments – of that I’m certain.”Marshall, 31, was born in Auckland and played the last of 66 ODIs against Ireland at the 2007 World Cup. He subsequently turned down a New Zealand contract so that he could continue his county career with Gloucestershire as a non-overseas player and also joined the ICL. But in April this year he made clear his intentions to qualify for Ireland as an Irish passport holder, and is also eyeing a coaching role in Irish cricket.”Cricket Ireland is delighted to welcome back Ed to the fold again, and we are sure he will make a massive contribution to the squad,” said chief executive Warren Deutrom. “We regret that Hamish has missed out on this occasion, but we have no doubt he will play a huge part in future World Cups and we are looking forward to him taking the field against England at the RSA Challenge ODI next August in Dublin.”We would like to thank the ICC for its positive consideration of the case for Ed, and express our special appreciation to both the England and Wales Cricket Board and New Zealand Cricket for their great cooperation and generosity throughout this process in terms of facilitating Ireland to have its best possible squad at the sport’s showcase event.”

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has claimed that Celtic have already been in talks with Tottenham Hotspur over a possible permanent deal for Cameron Carter-Vickers for a few months. 

The lowdown

The £22k-p/w centre-back joined Ange Postecoglou’s side on a season-long loan from Spurs on transfer deadline day last August, and The Daily Record recently reported that Celtic hope to strike a permanent deal this month.

The loan agreement was believed to contain a £6m option to buy with ‘significant’ add-ons, but Spurs have indicated that there could be room for manoeuvre on the fee and the payment structure.

Celtic have spelt £2.2m so far this month on four new arrivals – Reo Hatate, Yosuke Ideguchi, Daizen Maeda and Johnny Kenny.

The latest

O’Rourke believes that the dialogue between Celtic and Tottenham over a permanent deal dates back to the early part of the season, with Carter-Vickers quickly making a big impression on Postecoglou at Parkhead.

The journalist told Give Me Sport: “I’m sure both clubs have been talking ever since Carter-Vickers made the move to Celtic Park in the summer. He’s established himself as a key player under Ange Postecoglou.”

The verdict

Carter-Vickers has been a regular at Celtic from the outset. He went straight into the team for the clash with Ross County on 11 September, the Hoops’ first game after he joined, and has only missed one Premiership match since.

The 24-year-old has been in excellent form, too. His average SofaScore rating of 7.45/10 ranks him fourth in the Celtic squad, above their top two goalscorers Kyogo Furuhashi and Jota.

Postecoglou said last month that he ‘wouldn’t have brought him in’ if he didn’t think there was long-term potential, while Parkhead legend Kenny Dalglish has dubbed the American an ‘excellent professional’.

Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the Hoops have apparently been working away at this move for an extended period, and hopefully the months of communication with Spurs won’t go to waste.

In other news, one pundit has been left very impressed by Celtic’s transfer window so far

Phil Mustard opened a new chapter in his career at Edgbaston, making his first century in the County Championship since taking over as Durham’s captain

30-May-2010
ScorecardPhil Mustard opened a new chapter in his career at Edgbaston, making his first century in the County Championship since taking over as Durham’s captain. He was last man out for 100 – his second 50 coming from only 38 balls – after countering a return of 8 for 114 by Warwickshire’s Imran Tahir.The Pakistan-born wrist spinner twice took two wickets from three balls in registering the best figures by a slow bowler against Durham since they joined the Championship in 1992. But Tahir’s outstanding performance, the best for Warwickshire since 2002, was not enough to dampen Durham’s resurgence after their recent problems.The reigning champions took their total to 379 before Mustard became Tahir’s final victim, holing out on the leg side immediately after reaching his third first-class hundred with his second six.Facing 140 balls in all, he also hit nine fours in leading his side into a strong position which was underpinned when Darren Maddy departed in Mitchell Claydon’s first over as Warwickshire replied with 18 for 1.Quickly rebounding from a heavy defeat by Kent last week, Durham began the second day strongly as Mark Stoneman and Gordon Muchall extended their second-wicket stand to 153 in 45 overs. Stoneman (77) compiled his first Championship half-century since scoring 64 in the corresponding fixture at Edgbaston last June and Muchall (60) went beyond 50 for the first time since his unbeaten 106 against Sussex at Hove in May last year.Things only changed with the introduction of Tahir. Relishing an opportunity to bowl on a dry pitch, he made a breakthrough with three wickets in 15 balls without conceding a run.After dismissing Muchall, lbw playing from the crease, he continued to use the googly to good effect. Richard Johnson, called up in place of the omitted Tim Ambrose, stumped Stoneman when the opener lost his balance, and Maddy held a slip chance from Ian Blackwell.Ben Stokes sparked off another clutch of wickets for Tahir after lunch with a slog to Jim Troughton at wide mid on. Dale Benkenstein was next to go, lbw for 26 and Scott Borthwick thrashed a long hop to midwicket.Tahir ended his two spells, one from each end, with 6 for 73 but a change of tack failed to pay off for Warwickshire. With Mustard restricting himself to four boundaries in his first 50, Durham were able to rebuild after the home side had taken the new ball.Liam Plunkett was a positive partner in an eighth-wicket stand of 95 from 28 overs. The former England seamer made 41 from 85 balls before he was bowled, playing defensively, on Tahir’s return to the attack.

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Raphinha to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by ExWHUemployee, with the club insider confirming in a recent post on The West Ham Way that David Moyes’ side had launched an offer for the Leeds United winger after his agents contacted the club regarding a move.

However, Ex added that the offer was swiftly rejected by Marcelo Bielsa’s side, who informed West Ham that the 25-year-old is not for sale at any price this month.

Finally, the insider claimed that the offer for the Brazil international could have been as high as £50m, also stating that the Whites’ stance on parting with Raphinha this month does not look likely to change, even if the Hammers were to raise their offer.

In his post, Ex said: “I can confirm reports that we did make an offer for Raphinha of Leeds United are correct. Our top transfer source has confirmed (backed up by another – our two source policy) that an offer went in after agents contacted the club. The offer, however, was swiftly rejected and West Ham were told that Leeds are not prepared to sell at any price this window.

“A host of clubs, including Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool are said to be interested in the player. Therefore, if Leeds hold onto him until the summer, there is likely to be even higher offers for the talented Brazilian.

“The chances are that this offer is the mystery £50m offer that has been reported that we submitted but this is not confirmed. If Leeds change their stance we will let you know but this is considered to be very unlikely.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Raphinha has been since his £17m move to Leeds in October 2020, the news that West Ham are interested in signing the winger is sure to have left the London Stadium faithful buzzing.

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Indeed, over his 30 Premier League appearances during his debut campaign in England, the £36m-rated forward scored six goals, registered nine assists and created 12 big chances for his teammates. These returns saw the 25-year-old earn a sensational seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.14, ranking him as his club’s third-best player in the top flight.

The Brazilian has been equally as impressive over his 19 league outings so far this term, with the £63k-per-week forward having already scored eight goals, provided two assists and created seven big chances. These metrics have seen the Brazilian earn an average SofaScore match rating of 7.06, ranking him as Leeds’ best performer in the Premier League.

As such, it is clear to see that Raphinha would make a fantastic addition to Moyes’ current options in attack. However, it would seem that West Ham will need to considerably raise their already sizeable offer for the winger if they are to have any chance of getting a deal over the line prior to Monday’s transfer deadline.

In other news: “Talks will continue..”: ExWHUemployee drops teasing update on late deal, GSB must act

The Titans welcome the Knights to the SuperSport Park like a spider inviting an insect into its web

Firdose Moonda09-Dec-2010The Titans welcome the Knights to the SuperSport Park like a spider inviting an insect into its web. The only difference is that the hosts aren’t being cryptic about their intention – there’s no mystery in their luring, they simply want to destroy.The hosts, on an eight-match unbeaten streak, welcome back two national players and the competition’s most economical bowler to their ranks. The Knights have lost more matches than they won in the group stages, had to do without their captain Boeta Dippenaar, who was ruled out with injury before the campaign even started and have only just found something resembling consistent form in the competition. It’s clear who the favourites will be in the MTN40 final in Centurion on Friday.The Titans have the armoury to do just that. AB de Villiers and Morne Morkel will be in the starting line-up and Ethy Mbhalati returns from a thigh injury. They have an embarrassment of talent and it will be interesting to see who gets left out. Andre Nel and Mario Olivier may have to make way for Morkel and Mbhalati, while Gulam Bodi is the likely candidate to be dropped for de Villiers.”It means a lot to everyone in this squad to play in the final,” Jacques Rudolph, captain of the Titans told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s going to be tough to leave anyone out because everybody is in really good form and that’s been our strength this season. In the eight matches we’ve won, we’ve had eight Man-of-the-Match performances from different players.”That has been the theme of Titans’ season. One of their men is always on hand to deliver. In the semi-final against the Lions, Roelof van der Merwe was that man, with both bat and ball. Faf du Plessis, who has recovered from a cracked rib, tops the run charts with 456 runs from nine matches, including back-to-back centuries. Henry Davids has performed well in the opener’s role, Rudolph lies fourth on the batting rankings and Farhaan Behardien, Heino Kuhn, David Wiese and Albie Morkel are on hand to provide power hitting if needed.The Titans work like a well-oiled machine and are already the most successful franchise in the country. The only thing weighing on their minds must be the high expectation that engulfs them. “There’s always pressure to win a trophy but we are confident in our ability.” Rudolph said.By contrast, the Knights have no such anxiety since they have already ticked the box that represented their goal for the tournament. “The aim was to get to the semi-final and now that we have gone one further we just want to try our best and see what happens from there,” Ryan McLaren said. “There’s no pressure to win a trophy, we’ve gone about our cricket in a relaxed fashion and allowed the guys to really express themselves.”That attitude hasn’t filled the Knights with delusions about the calibre of the side they are facing, one that beat them twice in the group stages. “The Titans are a really well balanced side and with a few of the national guys back they have a very formidable line-up but we’ve found form at the right time.”The Knights, along with their captain, Morne van Wyk, had an average group campaign. They lost four matches and if it wasn’t for the abysmal form of the Cobras may not have reached the knockout stage. Then, they almost stumbled while chasing of a modest 226 against the Dolphins in the first leg semi-final, before Johan van der Wath stepped up to win that match. van Wyk and his team were better in the second leg. The captain scored a century and the bowlers defended 215.Their most promising player has been left-arm bowler Jandre Coetzee. “He is our prodigy and has been part of the system for a while. He comes from Springbok (a small Northern Cape Town), so it’s quite a drive for him to get to us, but he really wants to play. He’s done well in the twenty-over form of the game and now he is proving himself in the forty-over format as well,” McLaren said.The Knights did not display much of their batting prowess in the semis but that doesn’t mean they don’t have any. Rilee Rossouw has been their most consistent performer, with two centuries in the competition so far and McLaren believes he is the man who can turn the game in their favour.It’s a classic case of the mighty against the underdogs, with the Titans displaying supreme confidence and the Knights dogged spirit ahead of the encounter. The only thing that may prevent it from becoming an epic battle is the weather. The Highveld has been hit by thunderstorms for the past two afternoons and is forecast to experience the same on Friday.