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Tim Bresnan has been called up to the England squad after an ankle injury ruled Ajmal Shahzad out of the first Test match at Trent Bridge

Cricinfo staff28-Jul-2010

Tim Bresnan has been called up to the England squad after an ankle injury ruled Ajmal Shahzad out of the first Test against Pakistan at Trent Bridge. It had been a foot injury to Bresnan that helped Shahzad make his Test debut against Bangladesh last month, during which he impressed with his pace and reverse-swing.Shahzad’s ankle problem has sidelined him for a week and he could be back as soon as the second Test at Edgbaston. He had previously suffered a hamstring strain during the third ODI against Bangladesh.”After twisting his left ankle with Yorkshire over a week ago Ajmal went on to successfully play in a Clydesdale Bank 40 match for his county last Monday,” ECB chief medical officer, Nick Peirce, said. “Unfortunately Ajmal felt some discomfort following England practice at the NCPC [National Cricket Performance Centre] on Tuesday and as a precautionary measure it is felt he is best to undergo rehabilitation on the ankle for the remainder of this week.”Shahzad’s Yorkshire team-mate Bresnan had a solid tour of Bangladesh earlier this year but was a let-down when given the new ball at Lord’s earlier this season. With fast bowlers James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Steven Finn already in the squad, it is unlikely Bresnan will make the XI for the first Test against Pakistan starting Thursday.Both Bresnan and Shahzad face an important few weeks as they aim to cement their places on the Ashes tour later in the year. Bresnan is considered as an option to bat at No. 7 to allow England to play five bowlers, but currently Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss favour the six-batsman route with Matt Prior, the wicketkeeper, at No. 7.

Kaveh Solhekol has dropped some big Newcastle United transfer news involving Diego Carlos while speaking live on Sky Sports.

The Lowdown: Developing story

The Carlos to Newcastle story is developing rapidly by the day, as the St. James’ Park faithful remain hopeful that they can get a deal done.

This is despite the central defender starting for Sevilla in their La Liga game against Valencia on Wednesday night, after reportedly handing in a transfer request in order to try and push through a move to the North East.

Carlos has also seemingly denied that he is happy to stay at Sevilla in a recent social media post, suggesting that a move could still be on the cards if both teams can come to an agreement.

The Latest: On-air update

Speaking on Sky Sports’ The Transfer Show, journalist Solhekol revealed (via Sky Sports’ The Transfer Centre) live on air (19/01/22, 17:07-17:08pm) that another unnamed club in the Premier League have now bid for Carlos, but he would still like to move to Tyneside:

“In the last hour, we’ve been told another Premier League club is trying to sign Diego Carlos and they have made a bid for him.

“Newcastle had been in talks to sign him. He’s a very experienced Brazilian defender, who is part of the best defence in La Liga this season. 

“Our information is that the player would like to leave Sevilla and to come and play for Newcastle, so much so he handed in a transfer request yesterday.

“So it looked like there were positive signs that he could be going to Newcastle. Then another Premier League club came in for him today, they have matched Newcastle’s £30m bid. That has complicated the situation.

“I’m also told there’s an Italian club trying to sign Carlos. They have suggested a price that they are willing to pay, and that’s not as much as £30m, so I think we can discard them for the time being.”

He continued: “We don’t have information at the moment about who that other club is. You could speculate, there are clubs out there who are looking to buy a centre-back.

“Who are the clubs who have the finances in place to make a bid of £30m for Carlos – it’s not a very long list. This evening, we’ll do out best to find out who that is.”

The Verdict: Just get it done

The Carlos saga has dragged on long enough now, and the Magpies need to just get the deal done as soon as possible, even if that means entering a bidding war, especially with crucial games like the one against Leeds United coming up in the top flight.

La Liga expert Kevin Campbell believes that the defender is ‘right up Newcastle’s street’ (Football Insider), while European football expert Andy Brassell claims that he is a ‘real leader at the back’ (The Daily Express), something the Toon have arguable lacked this season.

Nicknamed ‘The Beast‘, Carlos is exactly the kind of player you would want in a relegation dogfight, and so they need to get this deal done quickly, with the growing interest and competition for his signature.

In other news, find out which ‘exceptional’ star NUFC are now ‘interested’ in here!

MatériaMais Notícias

Dando continuidade a preparação na pré-temporada, o Avaí realizou um treino com bola, na tarde desta quarta-feira, em Águas Mornas.Achuva que caiu na região da Grande Florianópolis dificultou o trabalho, mas não diminuiu o ímpeto dos atletas durante os treinos.

Com atividade em campo reduzido, Maurinho, Rafinha, Lourenço, Jô e Rômulo aproveitavam os espaços para finalizar. A velocidade da bola aumentou no campo molhado e os goleiros tiveram que se esforçar durante o treinamento.Outros jogadores arriscaram de fora da área, acertando belos chutes, como João Paulo, Lucas Lovat e o meia Luanzinho. Mesmo chovendo, a movimentação dos atletas foi intensa.

Na cidade até as vésperas da partida contra o Inter de Lages, no dia 17 de janeiro, o Avaí voltará a treinar amanhã. A programação é composta por trabalhos físicos e exercícios com bola.

Many Liverpool fans have slammed the performance of James Milner in their game at Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday evening.

The 35-year-old was run ragged at times in the middle of the park and it was no surprise to see him taken off for Naby Keita just shy of the 70-minute mark.

Milner lost out on five of his duels in total and also failed to record a single shot on goal or successful dribble, while his 65% pass accuracy was one of the worst out of any player on the pitch (SofaScore).

The veteran midfielder also failed to make any accurate crosses or long balls, while he was guilty of losing possession of the ball 10 times and had only 38 touches, 15 fewer than his own goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher (SofaScore), summarising his lack of positive impact on the match.

Liverpool fans slam Milner

These Liverpool supporters slammed Milner’s performance on Twitter, with one Kopite even going as far as to call him a ‘clown’:

“Clown Milner”

Credit: @DavidElliott720

“It’s painful to watch Henderson and Milner pretending to play football”

Credit: @Intrepide_

“Milner playing against us”

Credit: @davies_t_m

“Milner is making me cringe”

Credit: @EMxneyfella

“Hendo and Milner have been abysmal again”

Credit: @ewan_tc

“Watching Milner move is painful”

Credit: @fotballben1

In other news, find out what Mohamed Salah claim has left these LFC fans erupting

ScorecardNetherlands drew level with Kenya after an emphatic win in the second one-day international at the Nairobi Gymkhana. Bas Zuiderent’s 56 was the only highlight in another disappointing Dutch batting performance, but their bowlers made amends for their performance yesterday with a strong allround effort to bowl Kenya out for just 120 in 32 overs to seal an 80-run win.Mudassar Bukhari started Kenya’s collapse when he found the edge of David Obuya’s bat with the third ball of the innings, and also picked up Rakep Patel – who hit a career-best 92 in Kenya’s victory in the first match – in an impressive opening spell. Two balls later the other architect of yesterday’s win, Alex Obanda, was gone too, his stumps shattered by Mark Jonkman to leave Kenya in trouble at 22 for 3. Captain Maurice Ouma was trapped lbw shortly after to give Bukhari his third wicket, as Kenya sank further into the mire.Jimmy Kamande and Collins Obuya, who plays as a specialist batsman these days, combined to see off the opening bowlers, and were beginning to find some fluency when Obuya picked out Alexei Kervezee off Pieter Seelaar’s left-arm spin to depart for 21. Joined by Nehemiah Odhiambo, Kamande continued to fight, striking two fours and a six to reduce the target to under 100 runs.When Odhiambo was caught behind off Peter Borren, however, a long Kenyan tail was exposed and they rapidly slid to defeat. Shem Obado was bowled first ball, and after Ryan ten Doeschate ended Kamande’s resistance for 42, Jonkman returned to mop up the tail, dismissing Hiren Varaiya and Nelson Odhiambo in consecutive balls.Kenya had looked set to wrap up the series when they bowled Netherlands out for 200 in the 49th over. With wickets falling regularly, Zuiderent’s half-century at the top of the order, as well as important contributions from the 18-year-old Tim Gruijters and Atse Buurman, were vitally important to Netherlands’ innings.After the early loss of the openers, Varaiya cut short Zuiderent and ten Doeschate’s consolidation, trapping yesterday’s centurion lbw for 9. Zuiderent fell in similar fashion shortly after Borren’s run out, and Netherlands looked decidedly shaky at 150 for 7 when Tom de Grooth and Bukhari were dismissed in quick succession by Odhiambo. But Gruijters and Buurman battled gamely, adding 40 for the eighth wicket before Varaiya brought the innings to a swift conclusion to finish with figures of 4 for 33.Netherlands’ tour of Kenya continues with a four-day game at the same venue in two days’ time. With the sides appearing very evenly matched, it is set to be a hard-fought encounter.

Leeds United trio Robin Koch, Stuart Dallas and Tyler Roberts all struggled in the Whites’ 4-1 defeat to Arsenal on Saturday evening.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side suffered another bad day at the office in the Premier League, being soundly beaten by the Gunners at Elland Road. According to Sofascore, the aforementioned trio were the home side’s lowest-rated players of those who featured for at least 45 minutes.

Here’s a look at the trio in question, with a delve into the underlying figures behind their lowly match ratings.

Robin Koch – 5.9

Koch had a tough night at the heart of the Whites’ defence, playing his part in the team conceding four goals.

The centre-back won just one ground duel out of four and lost possession 11 times, not to mention committing two fouls overall.

The 25-year-old also played just three accurate long balls out of seven on a bitterly disappointing evening for the German defender.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

Tyler Roberts – 6.2

Roberts was another Leeds player who struggled, as he failed to provide enough quality in the attacking third.

The Welshman recorded no key passes or accurate crosses against Arsenal and failed to complete a successful dribble, summing up his lifeless showing against the Gunners.

The 22-year-old was another player who was wasteful on the ball, giving it away 12 times.

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Stuart Dallas – 6.3

A scorer of eight goals last season, Dallas has yet to get off the mark nearly halfway through the current campaign, and he was nowhere near breaking his duck yesterday evening.

The 30-year-old failed to win either of his two aerial duels and he made one error which led to an Arsenal shot at Elland Road.

Possession was also ceded 11 times by Dallas, which meant that he, Koch and Roberts gave the ball away 34 times between them, a shocking tally on a night when Leeds struggled badly.

In other news, an interesting Leeds transfer rumour has emerged. Read more here.

Coaches and captains of state teams are unhappy with the Ranji Trophy schedule which gives them only a three-day gap between matches

Nagraj Gollapudi02-Jan-2010A year after the BCCI crammed the Indian domestic schedule to accommodate the IPL and the Champions League Twenty20, coaches and captains of state teams are virtually up in arms against the move. Their main objection is the three-day gap between matches in the on-going Ranji Trophy. Such a small break between games, they believe, is making players vulnerable to injury.Vijay Dahiya, Delhi’s coach, and Wasim Jaffer, the Mumbai captain, were of the opinion that the main reason behind majority of the matches ending in dull draws was because teams refused to risk pushing their bowlers, who have been under the pump due to the demanding schedule and lifeless pitches. “We do not get too many days rest between matches. There is not much rest for the bowlers who go down with the injuries,” Jaffer said on the eve of the Ranji Trophy Super League semi-final between Mumbai and Delhi at the Brabourne Stadium.Jaffer said it was the primary reason teams were settling for first-innings lead points rather than pushing for an outright win. “So when you get the time to rest them [bowlers] you don’t miss out unless you want to really want to force a win. Otherwise people are happy to get the first-innings lead and go to the next round,” he said.Dahiya was equally critical of the schedule which was introduced at the start of 2008 season. “We haven’t changed our [bowling] combination throughout the season unless forced by injuries or national call-ups. So the fast bowlers need more rest. If we can have that it would be more helpful rather than having a five-day game,” Dahiya said.While Dahiya was happy with the four-day format till the semi-finals, Jaffer believed five-day matches from the knockout stage would create more time for a possible result. “The five-day format, at least in the knockouts, is good as most teams prefer to take the first-innings lead and don’t want to force a win. At least this way the team on the receiving end has a chance to get back,” Jaffer said.Out of 53 matches played in the 2009-10 season, only 19 had outright results while 31 were decided by the first-innings lead. Corresponding figures in 2008-09 show 31 of the 56 matches had a result while 26 ended on first-innings lead.”For most of the games, we haven’t asked our bowlers to bowl in the nets during training as they have bowled 45-odd overs already,” Jaffer said. At the moment the gap is three days which includes a traveling day. “Ideally it would be good to have three rest days and one day for travel.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outLook who’s back•Getty Images

A 34-year-old fast bowler, returning to Test cricket after two years, and a 19-year-old debutant lit up Dunedin’s University Oval on a windy day, at the end of which New Zealand were better placed in the first Test. Finally back in New Zealand whites, hurling that red thing in anger on a flat pitch, Shane Bond – with pure pace – rattled the Pakistan middle order during a seven-over spell of 3 for 25. In reply, Umar Akmal launched a counterattack after Pakistan were 85 for 5, impressing with his dazzling strokeplay and clear head, scoring a 160-ball 129 to help his team avoid the follow-on.It took Bond his first spell to graduate from the early 140 km to close to 150, but during that time Chris Martin dismissed the openers, and Iain O’Brien – bowling into a stiff wind – troubled the batsmen enough to not let them settle. Umar, who nearly scored a century in boundaries alone, found support in his elder brother. Kamran Akmal was the quieter partner in the 176-run sixth-wicket stand, and missed his century by 18 runs. Nonetheless he stayed for long enough to be the first person to congratulate his younger brother on reaching a special century.Unlike their Pakistan counterparts, New Zealand’s new-ball bowlers found neither seam movement nor swing. They were helped, though, by the ordinary techniques of the top three batsmen. Martin, who had earlier got his 26th duck as New Zealand were dismissed for 429, was at the right place at the right time with the ball. First when Khurram Manzoor – his guard outside leg stump – went to cut him, ended up playing away from the body, and chopped it on. And then when Imran Farhat moved across his stumps and played down the wrong line. Nice payback for being dismissed for a sixth duck in six innings against Pakistan.In his third over of the second session, Bond gave Mohammad Yousuf a bouncer at 151 kmph that just missed the edge, followed by a yorker at 149 and a legcutter at 144 just outside off, again just avoiding the edge. It seemed it would take something more special to dismiss Yousuf and Bond pulled that out too: diving low and forward during his follow through to take a return catch. Two balls later he gave Fawad Alam the perfect lifter, not wide of off, high enough to have him jumping, and too fast for the batsman to pull his glove out of the way.Umar Akmal scored a thrilling century on debut•Getty Images

Another short ball came in the next over. Shoaib Malik, semi-backing away, guided it onto his stumps: 74 for 2 had become 85 for 5. In the interim, though, Umar had cut his first ball in Tests, from Bond, for four. Then came the shot of the day. Umar would have been forgiven had he played a forward defense to this ball from Daniel Vettori, but he rocked back and pulled it over wide long-on, so clean that it almost carried for a six.Before Bond finished his spell, he induced an edge from Umar, but it went low and fast to the left of Daniel Flynn at gully. Another sharp Bond bouncer got a top edge that fell short of the slip cordon. Those were the only blotches on Umar’s innings. Kamran, duly took the back seat as Umar cut, drove, pulled, slog-swept, and punched his way to 50 off 57 balls, and consequently forced more defensive fields. Bond had rattled Pakistan during that hour, and it was Umar’s turn now.Vettori, who gave O’Brien a deserved breather after 11 consecutive and tight overs for 28 runs, appeared to be the weak link. Boundaries were hit in three of his first five overs, and the partnership was on its way. Post tea, Vettori was reduced to bowling from over the stumps and Brendon McCullum crouching outside leg.The brothers saved the best for Bond, though. After Kamran hit him for three boundaries in two overs, Umar gave him the real treatment in the next. Three short deliveries, three pulls, left of mid-on, right of mid-on, and through midwicket, and the partnership had crossed 100. Umar had reached 72 off 91 then, and Kamran 47 off 81.O’Brien, who had played the perfect foil to Bond and Martin, saw his day go from dream to nightmare, thanks to Umar. His second spell’s first over went for three boundaries and, in his third spell, Umar reached his century in sensational manner. Three successive deliveries were pulled for four, six and four, through mid-on, wide long-on and midwicket, and Umar moved from 87 to 101, and O’Brien had gone for 70 in his last 10 overs.Just then Kamran got reckless, stepped out to Vettori, and edged a delivery from outside leg to first slip. Umar refused to buckle down still, Bond or no Bond, new ball or no new ball, scoring 28 more off the next 27 balls he faced. With about six overs to go in the day, he got a thick outside edge to a wide Bond delivery, which carried to third man. Umar couldn’t have chosen a more deserving bowler for his wicket.

Manchester United take on take on Villarreal in the Champions League this evening in what’s set to be their first encounter since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s dismissal.

Securing all three points would be enough to send the Red Devils through to the knockout stages of Europe’s elite cup competition, but interim manager Michael Carrick will have a tricky task on his hands.

Mason Greenwood has tested positive for the pandemic and is set to play no part in this midweek clash, while long-term absentees Raphael Varane and Paul Pogba will once again be sidelined.

Joining them on the treatment table could be Edinson Cavani and Luke Shaw, with the pair believed to be doubts ahead of the tip to the Estadio de la Cerámica.

That means Carrick may have to shuffle his pack slightly, although following the 4-1 defeat to relegation-threatened Watford last time out, he perhaps would have done so regardless.

With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast expects the former United and England midfielder to line up in Spain…

David de Gea will keep his place in goal despite conceding four over the weekend, but he’ll be keen to impress the new man in the dugout and maintain his No.1 status.

Ahead of the Spanish shot-stopper is set to be a back four made up Alex Telles, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Aaron Wan-Bissaka due to United’s fitness woes, and Carrick will be hoping for a much-improved showing from his defensive unit.

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The engine room could have a fresh face as well, with forgotten man Donny van de Beek coming into the starting lineup at the expense of the £7.2m-rated Nemanja Matic who deserves to be axed. The Dutchman will be one of three changes to the side.

He should partner Fred at the base of midfield, providing a solid foundation for Bruno Fernandes to attack from just ahead of the more defensive-minded duo.

An exciting front three of Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Cristiano Ronaldo could complete the starting XI as United go in search of a first post-Solskjaer victory and qualification from Group F.

And, in other news…Carrick could become an instant hit at Man Utd by ruthlessly axing £120k-p/w “problem” 

Ehsan Mani has accused the BCCI of trying to isolate Pakistan from the cricketing world and held it responsible for turning down the proposition of holding Pakistan’s share of the 2011 World Cup matches at neutral venues

Cricinfo staff10-Sep-2009

Former ICC president Ehsan Mani has accused the BCCI of trying to isolate Pakistan from the cricketing world and held it responsible for turning down the proposition of holding Pakistan’s share of the 2011 World Cup matches at neutral venues.Mani had, in May, told Cricinfo that India had engineered a split in the Asian bloc to deprive Pakistan of hosting rights for the 2011 World Cup in the fear of losing the tournament altogether following the attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore.”I can say this with conviction that no board is today able to stand up to the Indian board in the ICC,” Mani was quoted as saying on PTI. “Unfortunately, it is all about making money these days and the Indians dominate.”The power wielded by the BCCI, Mani said, was crucial to the idea of Pakistan staging their matches at neutral venues being dumped. He revealed there had been an agreement to go ahead with the proposition but the Indian board’s objection prevailed in the end. “I know for a fact that this was decided, but India turned it down at the cricket committee meeting and since Saleem Altaf was representing Pakistan in Ijaz Butt’s absence things went wrong somewhere,” he said. “India then insisted that the matches should only be held in the South Asian region.”In a calculated manner, India is trying to isolate Pakistan from international cricket. No board is willing to support us and we have no inputs coming from other boards.”Mani also expressed his concerns over Pakistan’s participation in the World Cup, given the current state of relations between India and Pakistan. “No one including the ICC is willing to answer the most important question: what happens if relations don’t improve between India and Pakistan until 2011,” he said. “Will Pakistan get permission to play its matches in India?”Given the existing relations between the two countries, any untoward incident can trigger off more problems. Then is the ICC willing to organise the World Cup without Pakistan?”Mani, who served as ICC president from 2003-06, is widely thought to be the man who prompted the PCB’s move to initiate legal action against the ICC for moving matches in Pakistan after the attacks in Lahore. Last month, both parties reached an agreement where it was decided that the PCB would retain its hosting fee and be paid an additional compensation for losing its hosting rights for the tournament.Mani, however, clarified that the ultimate decision to file a legal notice against the ICC was the PCB’s. “I gave them my honest opinion but the PCB took the final decision,” he said. “When I was ICC president I ensured no board was allowed to promote its self interest and every board was treated equally and fairly. That is not happening now.”