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Aaron Bird, the New South Wales fast bowler, has been reported for a suspect action for the second time in three seasons and faces a minimum three-month suspension if it is illegal. Bird is capable of bowling in the high 140kph range and is the leading wicket-taker in both the Twenty20 and one-day competitions this season.Bird surprised Victoria’s batsmen in the Twenty20 final and picked up three wickets, but it was one of three matches where the umpires raised concerns. The officials also reported him following FR Cup matches as far back as October due to Bird “displaying a doubtful bowling action with some of his deliveries”.He will be free to continue playing for New South Wales, but was left out of the Sheffield Shield match starting in Newcastle on Friday. “Within 21 days of being notified of a report, a bowler must make himself available to undergo an analysis of his bowling action at the Australian Institute of Sport biomechanics laboratory in Canberra,” a Cricket Australia spokesman said. “An assessment report, stating whether his action is legal, will be sent to Cricket Australia within 14 days of the completion of the testing.”If Bird’s action is found to be illegal he will be suspended for at least 90 days. After that period he will be able to undergo more analysis in a bid to be cleared.This season he has 13 Twenty20 wickets at 14.07 and 20 victims in the FR Cup. He was reported in 2006-07 but the testing on his action, which was eventually cleared, was delayed by a season due to stress fractures.

Express and Star Journalist Luke Hatfield believes that if Jayson Molumby impresses at West Brom then he will stick around permanently.

Molumby signed an initial season-long loan deal with West Brom from Brighton and Hove Albion, with a view to a permanent move in the future.

The 22-year-old spent last season on loan with Preston North End making 40 outings in all competitions.

Hatfield believes that Molumby is exactly the type of player that Baggies manager Valerien Ismael goes for and will buy into his philosophy, telling Transfer Tavern: “It’s on loan with a view to a permanent deal, so if he impresses well enough it could well be a permanent one. He doesn’t seem to be too much in the thinking at Brighton so that’s one I think could happen come the end of the season. 

“Obviously if he doesn’t put in performances then Albion will probably say goodbye to him but if he shows what he’s all about then it’s one that will probably stick around on a permanent basis.”

The Baggies currently sit second in the Championship table after an unbeaten start to the season, winning four of their first five matches.

After such a good start to the campaign, West Brom will be hoping to continue of their good run of form and hopefully make a return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

West Ham United have held talks with CSKA Moscow attacker Nikola Vlasic, amid growing suspicion that fellow target Jesse Lingard will stay put at Manchester United this summer [Hammers News].

Enjoying a commendable 2020/21 campaign, the Croatia international registered 18 goal contributions in 34 appearances for his current Russian employers; 12 goals and six assists [Transfermarkt].

Now, he could well be set for a move to East London following recent reports.

Speaking on the Sky Sports Transfer Show yesterday evening, Sky Sports News reporter Dharmesh Sheth remarked that the Hammers have held talks with Vlasic over a move, whilst also adding that there is “a growing feeling that Jesse Lingard may remain at Manchester United” [Hammers News].

West Ham have allegedly put forward an offer of a season-long loan stint with a £28 million purchase clause at the end of the season inserted for Vlasic’s services [Hammers News].

In light of this news, no wonder loads of West Ham United supporters flocked to social media to share their opinion on the latest news.

West Ham United fans react:

Replying to multiple outlets on Twitter, here is what some Hammers had to say about the update, with one admitting they are ‘excited’:

“Sign Vlasic on Loan then get Lingard for cheaper in January when Benrahma goes to AFCON”

Credit: @OC02_”Excited about this one if we can get it over the line”Credit: @davewinsley”Jesse seems impossible and seems to be talking to CSKA Moscow over Vlasic now”Credit: @WHUFCJPNFans”Vlasic PLEASE”Credit: @ben_personal”Please”Credit: @WesthamDeku_”Okay for real west ham can you just do me this one solid and get Vlašić? You’re gonna make so much money off me alone if you bring him in”Credit: @NStamparIn other news, West Ham United fans react to a Declan Rice update. Find out more here.

Southampton picked up a promising point against Manchester United on Sunday, and they could’ve easily taken all three against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

Fred’s own goal gave the Saints the lead in their first home fixture of the new Premier League season before Mason Greenwood’s low shot squirmed under Alex McCarthy for the equaliser.

Adam Armstrong had two great chances to score as Southampton weathered a United storm in the second half but ultimately, both sides had to settle for a point.

Despite having their own chances to win the game, Hasenhuttl’s men may well have found themselves on the losing side on Sunday afternoon if it were not for Mohammed Salisu’s impressive performance at centre-back.

The Ghanaian defender made two goal-saving blocks during the game and generally defended very well against the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Greenwood, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial.

As per SofaScore, the 22-year-old would earn an impressive 7.7/10 rating for his performance, which was the highest of any Southampton player to feature in the game, and the joint-highest along with Greenwood from either side.

Although Man of the Match Tino Livramento was hugely impressive once again at right-back and then further forward in the second half, Salisu’s influence on the game should not go unnoticed, as he made three clearances, blocked three shots and made three interceptions.

For comparison, last season Salisu averaged 2.4 clearances, 0.4 blocks and 1.4 interceptions in the Premier League, which emphasises that he was excellent on Sunday afternoon.

Although Hampshire Live journalist Tom Leach only rated him a 6/10 for his performance, he did acknowledge his influence, writing:

“Salisu saved the day multiple times during the first half, clearing inevitable goals off the line with last-ditch attempts to get it away.”

The £9m-rated Salisu also looked good with his passing, completing 27/34 of his passes at St Mary’s, whilst he would win 3/4 of the duels he was involved in, which emphasises just how dominant his performance was at the back.

And, in other news… Southampton dealt decisive blow with “exceptional” winger

Many Manchester United fans have been left slamming the display of Fred in the first half of their game away at Wolves on Sunday afternoon.

The Brazilian encountered a truly torrid opening few minutes as he struggled to defend against the pace and dribbling ability of Adama Traore in particular.

He constantly lost the ball in the middle of the park and could not recover, gifting chances to Bruno Lage’s team, including a very good one early on for Francisco Trincao, who waltzed past the Brazilian as if he wasn’t even there.

It was always going to be a risk by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer only starting with one natural defensive midfield player, and it really told as Fred struggled to stop attacks coming towards his goal.

Manchester United fans on Fred display

These members of the Old Trafford faithful slammed Fred on Twitter, with one Red Devils supporter even going as far as to claim that he is a ‘disgrace’:

“Take Fred off. Absolutely awful”

Credit: @ZombieJester

“Fred is getting bullied by Traore”

Credit: @_Vigneshhhh_

“CR7 may file a transfer request today after seeing Fred’s masterclass.”

Credit: @Usama7

“Fred is just being himself what a disgrace to this team. Speechless”

Credit: @puppypawerr

“Fred should never play football again. Horrific. I’d give some of our academy players a chance ahead of him”

Credit: @Lord_You07

“Get the Brazilian fraud Fred off of the pitch immediately.”

Credit: @iganeshmgr

In other news, find out whose performance against Southampton was slammed here!

Michael Stewart has predicted Glasgow Rangers will need to sell players after failing to reach the group stages of the Champions League.

The Lowdown: Gers receive CL blow

After winning the Premiership last term, the Gers will have been hopeful of reaching this season’s Champions League group stages and securing the financial boost which comes along with that.

However, they fell at the first hurdle, losing 4-2 on aggregate to Malmo in the third qualifying round.

The Latest: Stewart makes prediction

Taking to Twitter following the 55-time Scottish champions’ defeat to the Swedish side, Stewart wrote:

“Champions League money isn’t coming into Ibrox and surely that’ll mean they need to sell players to try and balance this years accounts. Which will obviously have an impact on the team on the pitch.”

The Verdict: Harsh but true

While this is something that many Rangers fans will not want to hear, it may unfortunately come to pass. Several Gers players have the ability to play at a higher level – Glen Kamara (Transfermarkt) and Alfredo Morelos, for example, competed at Euro 2020 and the Copa America respectively this summer and are entering the prime years of their career.

Neither have appeared in the Champions League before these two matches – they will likely want to play on that stage regularly.

Perhaps the one saving grace in some cases is that, if the Gers win the Premiership again this season, they will automatically receive a spot in the group stages of Europe’s premier club competition. Therefore, some of their top players may decide to give it one last chance at Ibrox.

In other news, Rangers fans were livid at this SPFL move.

Greg Smith’s unbeaten century marshalled England’s reply on the second day of the Under-19 Test against New Zealand at Worcester

Cricinfo staff02-Aug-2008
Scorecard
Just as one G Smith was frustrating England with a century on Sunday, another one was frustrating New Zealand junior England on the second day of the Under-19 Test at Worcester. The visitors finally closed on 371, Greg Morgan ending with 81, his dismissal bringing up five wickets for Liam Dawson before Greg Smith built a decent response to leave his side on 278 for 5.He was unbeaten on 104 at stumps, his innings coming from 198 balls so far over the course of three hours 20 minutes. The opener Alex Hales made 52 earlier, while wickets were shared around the New Zealand attack.The biggest stand of the day was between Smith and Dawson who had added 98 together when Dawson was run out on 43 to end what had been a useful day for him. New Zealand are well placed, though, with England still trailing by 94 runs.

The contentious issue of Zimbabwe’s future in international cricket remained delicately poised on Wednesday with backroom negotiations failing to yield a consensus on the first day of the ICC’s board meeting. A compromise has been identified – that Zimbabwe stay out of the World Twenty20 to be held in England next year but retain its Full Member status – but has not yet found acceptance.It is a deal that will enable the ECB, which is pushing for a sanction of some kind against Zimbabwe Cricket, to be able to hold the World Twenty20 without a hitch but, till the end of the day, ZC remained defiant that it had every right to participate in the event. The hitch is the UK government’s decision to bar the Zimbabwe team from the event – a threat which, if carried out, could see the tournament being taken away from England.”We are very keen and are looking forward to participating in the Twenty20 World Cup,” a ZC official told Cricinfo. “There is no reason why we should not be there in England for the event. We believe we have the credentials and the team to take part and put up a good performance.Last year, we beat Australia in the World Twenty20 and that is ample proof of our abilities.”While compromise will suit everyone barring ZC, the Indian cricket board remained firmly behind Zimbabwe with a BCCI official reaffirming that it “would support Zimbabwe to the full, at any cost”.Though the ZC contingent appear confident of emerging unscathed from the Westin hotel on Thursday evening, the very fact that the issue will be discussed in detail – after doubts at one point on Wednesday on whether it should be discussed at all – means that it’s not all over.Intriguingly, a day after outgoing ICC president Ray Mali said the issue was about cricket, not politics, ZC officials – who have arrived here with a lawyer – indicated they would be using sporting credentials to make their case.Asked about the possibility of Zimbabwe being suspended from limited-overs cricket, the ZC official said, “As far as we are concerned, any form of suspension from any form of cricket is not a valid option at all. There is no reason for such steps to be considered.”Almost a sideshow to the main event is the discord within the South African camp. Over the last week, Norman Arendse, the president of Cricket South Africa (CSA),has adopted a hardline stance on Zimbabwe in suspending bilateral agreements. It appeared today that members of his own board were not in favour of that decision.”It’s a surprise that Zimbabwe is being discussed here,” a source in theSouth African board told Cricinfo. “It should never have been an item onthe agenda. Also, where has this question over Zimbabwe’s membership comefrom? This is ridiculous.”Asked to elaborate on the CSA’s position on Zimbabwe, the source suggested it had a lot to do with their government’s views. “We have suspended bilateral cricket with Zimbabwe, but that does not mean we have cut off all ties with Zimbabwe Cricket. Zimbabweans are still our friends and not our enemies and they understand that. By suspending ties, we mean we will take a re-look at the situation, probably after a season. But at the international level, we will honour all our commitments to Zimbabwe, as per the FTP. There is no doubt that the CSA is with Zimbabwe, but our president, on a personal level, seems to have different views.”Things should become clear on Thursday even though the matter may not be put to vote. A delegate who attended today’s meeting told Cricinfo that if it does, Zimbabwe would get at least two more than the four they require out of 10. “There’s India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, apart from Zimbabwe of course. And even if Arendse goes against Zimbabwe, West Indies are firmly on their side,” the official said.

Sky Sports pundit Kevin Campbell reckons that new Celtic signing Joe Hart can become an important figure during his time at Parkead.

The Lowdown: Ange Postecoglou gets used to life in the Parkhead dugout

Ange Postecoglou has made a solid start to life at Parkhead after registering two consecutive victories against Jablonec and Dundee respectively, although the Champions League qualifying exit to Midtjylland in late July was his first big setback.

Making inroads on the transfer front, the 55-year-old has sanctioned deals for seven players in James McCarthy, Liel Abada, Osaze Urhoghide, Kyogo Furuhashi, Carl Starfelt, Liam Shaw and Hart [Transfermarkt].

The Latest: Campbell tips Hart to be ‘massive’ for Celtic

Speaking about the English goalkeeper in an exclusive interview with Football Insider, former Everton striker Campbell was very complimentary with regards to the potential impact that Hart could have at Parkhead, as he stated: “The great thing about Joe is that he has that experience”.

Campbell then added: “That big club experience matters, especially going to a club like Celtic.

“Hart has won the Premier League, he was England’s number one, he will relish the chance to play for Celtic.

“He can be massive for them. He will prove himself up there, I’m sure. It’s a big opportunity for him.”

The Verdict: Hart looks to be an astute signing for Celtic

Citing his experience and previous exploits, Campbell builds a strong case for Hart to succeed in Glasgow. Having made two appearances for the Hoops since his arrival, the England international managed to record his first clean sheet in a 6-0 rout of Dundee last Sunday [BBC], playing in both of their wins so far under Postecoglou.

Having been on the periphery at former club Tottenham Hotspur last term, he made 10 appearances in north London but still kept five clean sheets [Transfermarkt]. As Campbell stated, though, Hart has huge experience at a high level, playing almost 550 club career games, winning five major trophies and representing England 75 times.

At 34 years of age, his shelf life as a goalkeeper could see him play on for a good few years at Parkhead. Judging by his start so far, he looks to be an ideal fit between the sticks at Celtic and could yet fulfil Campbell’s hope of him becoming a “massive” presence for Postecoglou.

In other news, Celtic have re-opened talks with a midfield ace.

A prediction has been made by Noel Whelan regarding when he thinks the Newcastle United takeover process may be concluded.

The Lowdown: Arbitration adjourned

As shared by the official website of the St. James’ Park faithful, the arbitration hearing between themselves and the Premier League has now been adjourned until early 2022 because of issues with the disclosure of evidence.

The hearing was expected to take place this month, but now further delays have been implemented, leaving things in limbo for the foreseeable future.

The Latest: Whelan on takeover process

Whelan, a pundit who played as a striker for the likes of Leeds United and Coventry City, has since given his thoughts on the takeover process to Football Insider, claiming that he cannot see it being concluded even next year, leaving a question over just how long it will take:

“I think it’s been a farce ever since it first started, to be quite honest with you.

“This doesn’t surprise me that they don’t want to disclose any kind of findings. They’re going to drag it on as much as they possibly can.

“It’s not good for Newcastle because they want this takeover done. They want the takeover done because it’s going to improve and bring more money into the football club.

“It’ll strengthen their squad and position in the Premier League.

“You can never see this one settling very quickly because there’s two strong personalities at either end of this: Mike Ashley and the Premier League.

“The Premier League will need to make sure they’ve got all their documents in order, as will Mike Ashley.

“The process is going to drag on. I probably can’t see it getting concluded in 2022 either.”

The Verdict: Worrying

These are certainly worrying times for the Toon Army, as they go into yet another season with uncertainty surrounding the North East club.

Even though the arbitration hearing is now set to take place next year, there is a chance that it could be delayed even further as it has done already.

If Whelan’s prediction that the process may not even be concluded before 2022 is right, then a serious question has to be asked over how long the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium will be willing to wait and ultimately, whether a takeover on Tyneside will ever be completed.

In other news, find out which £50,000-per-week target is attracted to a Magpies move here!