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Chris Gayle was dismissed for a duck and conceded eight runs off his one over but Matabeleland Tuskers still beat Southern Rocks comfortably at the Harare Sports Club

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2011Chris Gayle was dismissed for a duck and conceded eight runs off his one over but Matabeleland Tuskers still beat Southern Rocks comfortably at the Harare Sports Club. Tuskers’ seamers Keegan Meth, Glen Querl and Tom Smith all took two wickets each in tight spells to keep Rocks to 114 for 8 in their 20 overs. Meth made the first incisions, striking twice in the fifth over to reduce Rocks to 24 for 2. Smith then chipped in with wickets in the middle overs and the lack of partnerships made it difficult for Rocks to lift their scoring-rate. At 89 for 7 in the 18th over it looked like they would struggle to get past 100, but some quick runs from Hilary Matanga and Tafadzwa Kamungozi got them to 114. Meth gave away just 13 runs in his four overs while Smith conceded 12.Tuskers needed just 16.1 overs to chase the target. Gayle was dismissed in the first over but that was the only wicket to fall as Smith and Paul Horton guided Tuskers home. Smith scored 63 off 56 balls to cap off an impressive all-round performance while Horton got 39 off 40.

Mountaineers beat Mashonaland Eagles by 22 runs via the Duckworth/ Lewis method, at the Harare Sports Club. Mountaineers reached 139 in their 20 overs and Eagles were set a revised target of 105 runs to win in 15.1 overs. They lost wickets regularly in their chase and fell well short. Fast bowler Dirk Nannes struck with his first two balls to peg Eagles back. They never quite recovered, as wickets fell at regular intervals to ensure the required run-rate kept rising.Mountaineers’ innings was built around Hamilton Masakadza, who scored 36 off 27 balls with three fours and a six. That was after Tino Mawoyo had got them off to a flier with his 16 off 10, which included two sixes. Medium-pacer Nathan Waller struck three times in the middle overs to keep Eagles in check but their total of 139 proved enough.

Zimbabwe XI continued to maintain a firm hold on their Intercontinental Cup match against Netherlands in Amstelveen

Cricinfo staff27-Jul-2010
Scorecard
Stuart Matsikenyeri was one of four Zimbabwe batsmen to make a half-century in the second innings•International Cricket CouncilZimbabwe XI continued to maintain a firm hold on their Intercontinental Cup match against Netherlands in Amstelveen. A string of half-centuries helped them expand their lead to 417 before their bowlers nipped out four wickets as the home side attempted to pull off a huge chase.Resuming on 79 for 2, Zimbabwe’s overnight batsmen Stuart Matsikenyeri and Vusi Sibanda pushed the score to 119 before Matsikenyeri was bowled by Maurits Jonkman for 68. Charles Coventry was also dismissed soon after, but a couple of big partnerships followed which put the visitors in a virtually unbeatable position. Sibanda added 84 with Craig Ervine for the fifth wicket before falling for 88. His exit didn’t slow Zimbabwe though, as Regis Chakabva blasted a 33-ball 54 to dominate an 86-run stand with Ervine.Netherland’s chase got off to a poor start, losing two wickets by the eighth over. Their first innings rescuer, Wesley Barresi, then put on 67 with opener Eric Szwarczynski before becoming Ed Rainsford’s second victim. Netherlands slipped to 109 for 4 with the run-out of Wifred Diepeveen, and though Szwarczynski was unbeaten on 60, they faced a tough battle to save the game.

The January transfer window has just under two weeks left to run and Newcastle United have been active in bringing players to the club this month.

They have already signed Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood on permanent deals and have been linked with a number of new additions to further strengthen their squad.

Eddie Howe’s side are 19th in the Premier League table and in desperate need of new signings, given that the current squad has them in such a perilous position as it stands.

Replace Lascelles

One player who could be replaced in the final two weeks of the transfer window is centre-back Jamaal Lascelles, with Joe Rodon recently being linked with a switch to St James’ Park.

Some Newcastle fans took to Twitter over the weekend to criticise the club captain for his performance against Watford, as he lost his aerial duel to allow Joao Pedro to score the equaliser.

The defender has started 16 of the club’s Premier League matches this season and the Magpies have the second-worst defensive record in the division. He has also averaged a modest WhoScored rating of 6.48 for his individual performances, which suggests that he is far from smashing it in recent months.

This indicates that Newcastle need to improve in this area of the pitch, and the prospective signing of Rodon could allow Howe to brutally axe Lascelles from the team.

Ex-Chelsea forward Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink lavished the £24k-per-week Tottenham centre-back with praise last term. He told Sky Sports, via Wales Online: “He looks like a proper Spurs player, a centre-half, nothing fazes him, he put his head in when needed. You have to be comfortable on the ball because you want to control the game.

“I like that he gets up straight away and gets on with it because that tells me he is hard enough.”

Earlier this year, journalist Ian Mitchelmore hailed Rodon as “flawless” and a “special player” following an excellent showing for Wales at international level. For Spurs last season, he averaged an impressive SofaScore rating of 6.97 in the Premier League as he won a whopping 73% of his duels.

At the age of 24, he also has the majority of his career ahead of him. This means that he would not come in as a short-term fix and could instead be a long-term solution to Newcastle’s problem with Lascelles in the centre-back position, with Howe able to axe his current captain by signing Rodon and helping him develop over time.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano claims Newcastle could seal third January signing by “Thursday”, fans will love it…

Manchester United are rumoured to want to sign a number of midfielders during this month, as the side continues to underperform in the Premier League.

There is pressure on Ralf Rangnick to identify the right individuals and there is now a fresh link to one of the most sought after midfielders in world football right now.

What’s the word?

The Athletic has reported that John Murtough has identified Jude Bellingham as top of the list for Man United’s transfer targets.

However, the report claims that the Bundesliga star won’t be targeted to join Old Trafford until the summer, along with Declan Rice, who has also been heavily linked with a move to the club over the next few months.

Bellingham is a popular player, who has been linked to a number of clubs including Red Devils rivals Liverpool, so United will have to make an attractive offer for the Borussia Dortmund midfielder at the end of the season.

Back in October, it was reported that the German outfit had slapped a whopping £101m asking price on the midfielder.

Scott McTominay upgrade

Securing the signature of the £49k-per-week dynamo would surely be an upgrade to their current midfield, and he would likely compete for Scott McTominay’s spot in the team.

The Manchester United midfielder has been the subject of criticism on a number of occasions when the side’s underwhelming form reaches its peak, with his partnership with Fred coming under fire often, will the pair labelled ‘McFred.’

Roy Keane said earlier this season: “Look at the performance of the two midfielders. McTominay is a good, honest player. And they’ve got Fred. As long as those two players are in midfield for Manchester United, they will not be winning any big trophies.

“I can’t believe how short Manchester United are.”

When you compare Bellingham and McTominay this season alone for their clubs in their respective leagues, the 18 year old, who was hailed “scary” by Manchester United legend, Keane, has shown considerable more.

He scored more goals (3 vs 1), made more ball recoveries, attempted and completed more passes, been successful in more take-ons and even from a defensive perspective has won 42 more ground duels in the same number of appearances as his Man United counterpart, McTominay, according to Squawka.

From this comparison alone, it is clear why the board at the 20 league title winning club are eager to sign the youngster, however they will likely need to put themselves in a much more attractive position in the league by securing Champions League football to ensure they can beat their Premier League competitors for his signature.

In other news: Woodward in the midst of his final disaster

A question mark has arisen over the continuance of Justice BN Srikrishna as arbitrator in the case between the BCCI and the Kings XI Punjab following the Indian board’s objection to his appointment on grounds of a conflict of interest

Nagraj Gollapudi and Sharda Ugra01-Dec-2010The arbitrator in the case between the BCCI and the Kings XI Punjab, justice BN Srikrishna, has withdrawn from the case after disclosing to both parties that he represented the Wadia Group, part owners of the Punjab franchise, in many of their cases in the past.”I disclosed to the BCCI today that I was defence counsel for the Wadia Group,” Srikrishna told ESPNcricinfo. “They said I couldn’t continue, I said that was fine with me.”The news came a day after Srikrishna delivered an interim order in another case involving the BCCI, granting a stay on the expulsion of Rajasthan Royals. He said today’s development would not have any bearing on the Rajasthan case. “I will carry on because my association with the Wadias in the past does not concern that case.”Srikrishna was scheduled to begin hearing the Punjab case today, with the hearing set to last three days with provisions for a reserve day. But the board’s objection – made before the day’s proceedings started – stalled it.The irony is that Srikrishna was the BCCI’s own choice as arbitrator when both the issues went to arbitration. BCCI president Shashank Manohar told ESPNcricinfo that “he was chosen as we have all our faith in him.”Manohar said they would be challenging Srikrishna’s order staying the Rajasthan Royals termination in the Bombay High Court tomorrow, but said there was a possibility to include more teams in the fourth IPL.”Honestly speaking, we have nothing against any teams or any of the franchises,” Manohar said. “We have just acted based on the advice we have taken from our lawyers over certain matters.”The BCCI chief said the board was “not at all worried” about the turn of events in the IPL arbitration cases. “We will work it out … even if there are eight teams or ten teams in the next IPL, that’s fine. If we get an order from the court tomorrow that we cannot terminate the teams and they will have to be included in the IPL, that will happen.”

Alex Neil has given a post-match update on injury issues on two defenders in the team and it’s bad news for Sunderland.

What’s the latest?

The Black Cats boss confirmed that Dennis Cirkin will be out for the last two games and gave an update (via Northern Echo) on Carl Winchester who was forced off the pitch against Cambridge early into the first half of the game.

“It’s an injury issue with Dennis. In terms of his return, providing we extend the season (get into the playoffs), then I’d be very hopeful that Dennis would play a part.”

“Winny has hurt his groin, but the extent of it, I can’t tell you at the moment,”

“If Dennis and Winny are going to be missing now, there may well be an opportunity for Callum to play.”

Bad news for Sunderland

Losing two key players at such a crucial stage of the season will certainly be bad news for Sunderland supporters and the team ahead of their final push for a playoff spot for a chance at promotion to the Championship in the last two games.

The Mackems are currently fourth in the League One table following their win over Cambridge United, however, the top six is so tight that there is only a point difference in Sunderland’s current position and the seventh spot currently occupied by Sheffield Wednesday, who like Alex Neil’s side have an extra game to play compared to the rest of the top six.

Winchester has only missed four games over the entire season and has been heavily relied upon by his new manager since his arrival in February playing every single game in the eleven-game unbeaten run Sunderland are enjoying right now. Thus, his loss will definitely be felt in the team if he won’t be available to play in the remaining games.

Cirkin has just missed eight games this season due to groin surgery earlier in the campaign but has again been heavily involved in the success since Alex Neil’s arrival, playing the full 90 minutes in every single game the Scotsman has managed so far. That has seemingly taken its toll in the final throws of the season as he is likely to be completely ruled out for the rest of the term.

With that being said, losing two crucial players in the backline will surely be a devastating blow for the side but Neil will be hoping that Sunderland have enough to take them over the line to secure a playoff spot over the final games.

BCCI president Shashank Manohar has recused himself from the three-man disciplinary committee which will consider the case against suspended IPL commissioner Lalit Modi

Cricinfo staff19-Jun-2010BCCI president Shashank Manohar has recused himself from the three-man disciplinary committee which will consider the case against suspended IPL commissioner Lalit Modi. A replacement for Manohar will be chosen at a special general meeting (SGM) the board has convened on July 3 in Mumbai to discuss Modi’s replies to the three show-case notices sent to him.According to , the SGM was convened by BCCI secretary N Srinivasan on Manohar’s instructions. Modi has repeatedly accused Manohar and Srinivasan of harbouring personal grudges against him, and insisted neither of them should be involved in deciding his case. The reconstituted disciplinary committee will hear the case and then pass its recommendation to the general body of the BCCI, which will vote on the recommendation. The other two members of the committee are board vice-presidents Arun Jaitley and Chirayu Amin, who is also the interim chairman of the IPL.The affiliated members of the board have been sent copies of all the documents in the case, including the three-show cause notices, Modi’s replies and Manohar’s letter recusing himself from the committee.Under the board’s Memorandum of Rules and Regulations, a three-fourth majority of the general body present and voting is needed to pass a resolution. If the general body votes to expel Modi, he will be ineligible to hold any position or office in the board, or in any of its members or associate members, for a minimum of three years. Following the three-year period, an expelled member may be reinstated by the same three-fourth majority present and voting.

With a loan deal for Philippe Coutinho now agreed, Aston Villa now have the opportunity to focus on signing other players who Steven Gerrard feels would improve his squad.

One player to whom the club could turn their attention and realistically get through the door before the end of the month is Liverpool defender Nathaniel Phillips.

In a recent article from The Athletic by James Pearce, it was claimed that the 24-year-old “is attracting plenty of interest from both Premier League and Serie A clubs”.

The report also claimed that the Merseysiders have already rejected a bid of £7m from an unnamed top-flight club for him, with Liverpool having set their asking price set at £15m.

Additionally, the report named Villa as one of the Premier League sides who are in the market for a centre-back this month, so there’s every possibility that the Midlands club could launch a move for Phillips in the coming weeks if they feel he could improve their squad.

Taking into account how Villa have said goodbye to Axel Tuanzebe after his loan spell at Villa Park was cut short this week, there certainly is room for a new centre-back such as Phillips, who is currently valued at £7.2m by Transfermarkt, to come in and try and secure a place in Gerrard’s team.

Also, with a recent poll ran by Football FanCast revealing that 67% of Villa fans think Tyrone Mings is a liability for the team after his performance in their recent 3-1 defeat against Chelsea – when he was at fault for Romelu Lukaku’s goal – this could pave the way for Gerrard to sign Phillips this month and create a solid centre-back partnership alongside Ezri Konsa, potentially fixing the issue of their leaky defence, with 30 goals conceded in 19 league games.

With just four appearances under his belt for Liverpool across all competitions so far this season, a potential move to Villa could be very appealing for Phillips, who has been labelled as a “monster” on the pitch by Jurgen Klopp. If he would be guaranteed regular game-time under Gerrard’s guidance, it would benefit Liverpool at the same time by reaping what they see as a suitable transfer fee for him.

With Villa also being linked with a move for fellow Liverpool centre-back Joe Gomez, Phillips could be a much easier deal to secure given the Merseyside club’s reported willingness to sell him this month.

In other news – “What they’re looking at..”: Journalist drops Villa transfer claim, fans will be buzzing

Leeds United are still plotting a summer move for RB Salzburg midfielder Brenden Aaronson, according to an update from journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Leeds miss out on January move

The Whites seemingly spent the whole of January trying to acquire the 21-year-old’s signature but he ended up remaining at Salzburg for the rest of the season.

Aaronson has stood out as a key man for his current team in 2021/22, starting all six Champions League group stage matches and helping them reach the knockout rounds, which no doubt is what made it difficult for Leeds to get a deal done.

Victor Orta may return for the American in the summer transfer window, however, and a fresh update has emerged regarding the situation.

[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]

The Latest: Interest still remains

Taking to Twitter on Friday, Hay confirmed that the Whites are still keen on getting their man, as Orta looks to work his magic once the season ends:

“Leeds confident their pitch will work.”

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The Verdict: No-brainer for Whites

Aaronson looks like a great young talent with a big future in the game, so Leeds remaining interested in him is encouraging news.

The midfielder has been compared to Chelsea’s on-loan star and past Whites target Conor Gallagher in terms of style, with the Englishman scoring seven goals and registering three assists for Crystal Palace this season.

The hope is of course that Aaronson could have a similar impact at Leeds, thriving in a No.10 role for Salzburg and bringing an extra dimension in the middle of the park.

FBRef.com put the player in the 99th percentile in Europe for pressures per 90 with a remarkable 27.84 each match, so it’s no surprise Leeds see him as someone who would fit their high-intensity style under Marcelo Bielsa like a glove.

In other news, one Leeds player could leave the club permanently. Find out who it is here.

Manchester City are back in Premier League action this evening after their exhilarating 4-3 victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League.

This time, Pep Guardiola’s side travel to Elland Road to take on Jesse Marsch’s Leeds United, with the visitors looking to add as many points as they can to their tally and potentially retain the league title.

The previous meeting between the two teams saw City put seven goals past the Yorkshire club back in December, when the Whites still had Marcelo Bielsa at the helm.

Heading into today’s clash, it seems as though the away side will have to take on Leeds without two of their key players.

What’s the news?

Speaking in his latest press conference, Guardiola revealed that Kyle Walker and John Stones will not be fit enough to play against the Yorkshire club.

Walker picked up an issue during the second leg of City’s Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid last month, whereas Stones was forced off in the first half against Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid in midweek.

At such a crucial stage of the season where every point matters and the games are coming thick and fast, having two defensive options unavailable is undeniably a big blow for the team and terrible news for Guardiola.

Throughout the current league campaign, the duo have racked up a combined total of 38 interceptions, 20 tackles, 234 recoveries and 69 aerial duels won.

This highlights just how important the England pair are for City at the back and why they will be a big loss for today.

Leeds are currently unbeaten in their last five league games, scoring nine goals in the process, so it could be a tricky day for the visitors, especially given that they will be without Stones and Walker.

Moving forward, Guardiola and every City fan will be hoping that the other defensive options who will be fit enough to play this evening will do their bit in helping the Premier League champions to emerge victorious from Elland Road.

Looking beyond today’s showdown, the City manager will surely have his fingers crossed that the injured defensive pair will be able to feature at some point before the season ends and potentially secure the Premier League and/or Champions League titles.

In other news: In talks: Behind-scenes development emerges, it’s great news for Man City supporters