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Sheffield Wednesday have been dealt a blow regarding the fitness of George Byers ahead of their upcoming League One fixture.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by Yorkshire Live, Darren Moore confirmed that the central midfielder will once again be unavailable for selection against Wigan Athletic on Tuesday, as the 25-year-old is yet to recover from an injury he picked up in the Owls’ 3-0 loss against Plymouth Argyle towards the start of September.

Speaking about the current condition of Byers, the 47-year-old said: “George is working at the minute with the physios and we are making sure he is right before we unleash him again.

“George had a little bit of tightness. It is nothing substantial. We are making sure when we get him back that he is ready. Do I think George will be ready for Tuesday? No, but maybe we will have a look in regards to the weekend and see how he goes.”

Moore will be gutted

Considering how impressive Byers has been for Wednesday following his summer move from Swansea City, the fact that the Owls will once again have to make do without the midfielder for what is sure to be a challenging trip to table-topping Wigan Athletic on Tuesday will undoubtedly have left fans of the club gutted.

Indeed, over his four League One appearances so far this season, the £1.08m-rated man has provided his teammates with one assist, as well as making an average of one key pass, 1.5 interceptions, 0.3 tackles and winning 1.5 duels per game.

These returns have seen the 25-year-old average a SofaScore match rating of 6.83, ranking him as Moore’s 10th-best performer in the third tier of English football.

As such, the continued absence of the former Scotland U17 international is sure to come as a blow to Moore, who will certainly be hoping that his Owls side can send a message to the rest of the division with an impressive display at the DW Stadium.

In other news: “Unpredictable” £4.8k-p/w ace drops promising transfer hint, SWFC fans will be buzzing

With Afghanistan shocking Ireland by one wicket and Canada beating Kenya, Namibia – winless and bottom of the table – managed to upset UAE who before today were happily placed in fifth position of the ICC World Cup Qualifiers

Will Luke in Pretoria11-Apr-2009
ScorecardAny expectation that the Super Eights would run to form was emphatically quashed with a string of upsets to leave the final phase of the ICC World Cup Qualifiers appealingly open. With Afghanistan shocking Ireland by one wicket and Canada beating Kenya, Namibia – winless and bottom of the table – managed to upset UAE who before today were handily placed in fifth position.UAE, so impressive in their defeat of Afghanistan a couple of days ago, looked tired in the field and lazy with the bat. Namibia, on the other hand, bowled exceptionally – particularly Gerrie Snyman, who was economical and surprisingly slippery, and Louis Klazinga. The pair put UAE immediately on the back foot in their chase of 281, bowling a tidy line and gaining just enough swing to keep both batsmen and slips interested.Arshad Ali was first to depart, trapped leg-before trying to whip Klazinga through midwicket. Amjad Javed, the opening bowler and batsman who smashed a remarkable 164 last week, couldn’t cope with Snyman’s disciplined length, feathering a simple catch behind.In strode UAE’s star batsman, Saqib Ali, but he too was uncomfortable against the pace and bounce of Snyman and an ill-judged pull skied a simple catch to the wicketkeeper. Further evidence of UAE’s Jekyll and Hyde temperament came when Nithin Gopal attempted the most ill-judged of runs and was left stranded. In the blink of an eye, Namibia had reduced them to 38 for 4 in 12 overs.There followed a steadying partnership of 107 between Naeemuddin Aslam and Sameer Nayak, with Aslam stroking 50 from 68. The pair played with a coolness that UAE’s top-order lacked; calmly nudging singles and working the spinners intelligently into the gaps, though it was to have no impact on the end result.Aslam swept well and took the occasional risk, skipping down to the spinners and striking five fours, two of which found their way over midwicket. But at the halfway point UAE still needed 170 runs, and when Nayak was trapped leg-before by the persistent Louis Burger, their hopes relied on a gifted but excitable tail-end who imploded, rather than exploded.Namibia were no less impressive with their batting, recovering from 8 for 2 to post a sizeable 280 for 7 with Louis Burger cracking a 60-ball 61. Burger was joined in an exhilarating stand of 115 with Nicolaas Sholtz (57 from 59) as UAE’s usually disciplined attack offered gift after gift.Burger’s 61 was the perfect captain’s innings: initially calm and controlled, he then expanded his strokeplay and was particularly effective driving straight down the ground. The icing on the cake for Namibia’s innings came from Ian van Zyl who smacked 32 from just 14 balls, including two huge sixes over long-on as UAE trudged off to contend with their incensed coach, Colin Wells.Namibia have gradually developed into a force to be reckoned with in four-day cricket, particularly impressive in last year’s Intercontinental Cup, but their one-day form has often lurched from one disaster to another. Today they showed their potential, though whether they can maintain it against more talented sides is a question for later in the competition.

Steven Gerrard has a key decision to make over the future of Rangers winger Brandon Barker…  What happened?

According to Rangers News, the 24-year-old was expected to leave Ibrox on loan before the end of the summer transfer window.

He is out of contract at the end of the season and Football Insider reported that the club told him he could find a loan move or permanent exit on deadline day.

The winger failed to secure a deadline day switch and is now in limbo at Ibrox, having been left out of the Gers’ Europa League squad and not being in Gerrard’s current Premiership plans.

Gerrard faces decision on Barker

Gerrard is now in a position where he needs to take charge and make a crucial decision regarding what to do with Barker. It would be a waste to see the winger kicking his heels and doing nothing until January, so the Rangers boss needs to decide whether he wants to allow him to play for the B team and/or first team or have him do nothing for four months.

Rangers B have an SPFL Trust Trophy clash against Ayr United on Wednesday and Barker is eligible to feature in the game. Gerrard must allow the 24-year-old to feature in it in order to gain some match fitness and show that he has the quality to be a first team option further down the line.

His performance in this game, if he is allowed to play, could determine what happens with him between now and January. Given that he is out of contract next summer, January will be the club’s final chance to recoup some money for the former Manchester City man and giving him some game-time leading up to the transfer window could drum up some interest in his services.

Commenting on Barker and Jordan Jones previously, Gerrard hailed the pair as exciting players who can provide quality in the final third.

He said: “Last year I didn’t feel we had enough in the final third. The idea this year was to build a squad with exciting players who can open the door in different ways.

“Jordan Jones and Brandon Barker open the door in one-v-one situations then provide crosses or cut in to score goals.”

This shows that Gerrard had faith in Barker at the start of his career at Ibrox and maybe he could still have the potential to be a success. He scored three goals and provided four assists in 22 games on loan at Oxford last season, having scored twice in 10 Premiership matches during the first half of the campaign for Rangers.

Giving him a few opportunities in the league between now and January could be worthwhile for the Gers for multiple reasons. Firstly, it allows him to show that he has improved since the start of last season and it could open the door for him to work his way into Gerrard’s plans, but it also gives interested clubs a recent set of performances to analyse and make decisions upon – potentially helping him to secure a transfer.

AND in other news, Rangers flop has seen value soar by 203% since leaving Ibrox, he deserved more time…

Leicester City’s summer transfer window was undoubtedly a success. Brendan Rodgers addressed all the major weaknesses in his squad without losing any star players, but one target who got away may give the Northern Irishman some sleepless nights.

What’s the story?

Following the departure of former loanee Cengiz Under, the Foxes were heavily linked with a new right-winger in recent months, with PSV Eindhoven’s Noni Madueke reportedly high up on their wish list.

However, despite extensive speculation that the highly-rated 19-year-old was set to return to his homeland, the England under-21 international signed a new long-term contract at the Philips Stadion, committing his future to the club.

Nevertheless, despite putting pen to paper on fresh terms, Madueke has admitted in a recent interview that he hopes to play in the Premier League in the future after being released by boyhood club Tottenham Hotspur aged 16.

Leicester City fans will be buzzing

When asked if he has ambitions to play in the Premier League (as relayed by the Leicester Mercury), Madueke said: “Yeah, definitely”.

He continued: “The Premier League is the best league in the world and every young English player wants to be there. But also, I am not someone who is afraid to venture elsewhere, so whatever is best for my development, whichever country, I am a person who won’t be scared to take the leap.

“When I was 16, I didn’t want to go into that under-21 system,” Madueke added. “I wanted to go out and play and be involved in a first-team as quickly as possible.

“I didn’t want to play under-23 football as a talented 16-year-old when I felt I was ready for the first team. I backed myself 100 per cent. I am very impatient.”

After bagging nine goals and providing eight assists in 32 appearances for Roger Schmidt’s charges last season, former PSV ace Tommie van de Leegte labelled Madueke “explosive” following his electric displays.

The youngster has started the new campaign in even more impressive fashion, contributing to seven goals in 10 matches in all competitions, highlighting his top-class potential.

Therefore, Leicester fans will surely be buzzing to learn that Madueke is eager to grace the Premier League in the near future, giving them hope that he could be tearing up the King Power Stadium soon if the Foxes maintain their apparent interest in him.

In other news… Report sheds light on Leicester’s deadline day development, Rodgers will be gutted 

West Indies’ spring tour of England could be severely undermined after it emerged five senior Caribbean players were threatening to withdraw from the series and play in the lucrative IPL

Alex Brown and Martin Williamson26-Mar-2009West Indies’ spring tour of England could be severely undermined after it emerged five senior players are threatening to withdraw from the series to play in the IPL. Donald Peters, the chief executive of the West Indies Cricket Board, said a statement would be issued within the next two days detailing whether the players – including the captain Chris Gayle and senior batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul – will make themselves available for the tour of England.”We have players who have been selected for the IPL, and we have a policy on how to deal with this,” Peters told Cricinfo. “At this point, the negotiations are still ongoing, and we will inform people of the decision at the appropriate time. We have agreed with the players’ association not to make any comment until after the talks. We expect to issue a joint release either later today (Thursday) or tomorrow.”Gayle and Chanderpaul, along with Dwayne Bravo, Fidel Edwards and Jerome Taylor, are understood to be angered that the tour of England, which coincides with the IPL, was organised last October without their consultation. The series was arranged bi-laterally between the WICB and the ECB after the withdrawal of Sri Lanka – whose players demanded they be allowed to play in the IPL – and falls outside the Future Tours Programme.The West Indians are due to play their first tour match in England on April 21, just three days after the IPL launches in South Africa, with the first Test scheduled for Lord’s from May 6. The players are understood to have been ordered to arrive in England no later than May 1, restricting their IPL availability to just 12 days after the tournament’s start date was wound back from April 10 to April 18 to accomodate its shift from India to South Africa. IPL contracts are paid on a pro-rata basis.Gayle and Chanderpaul are the pair most likely to stand down from international duty should negotiations between the WICB and WIPA break down over the next two days. Gayle signed with Kolkata in the inaugural IPL auction for $US800,000, while Chanderpaul was bought by Bangalore for $US200,000.”We need to know what’s going on soon because we are picking our squad for the England tour next week,” John Dyson, the West Indies coach, told Cricinfo. “The chairman of selectors, in particular, needs an answer soon.”A similar dispute arose last year prior to Australia’s tour of the West Indies. Several senior West indian players considered withdrawing from the first two Tests of the series to remain in the IPL, but returned after the WICB allowed them to skip a pre-series training camp. Chanderpaul, Bravo and Ramnaresh Sarwan arrived in the Caribbean just days before the first Test at Sabina Park.Initial talks this week between the WICB and the West Indies Players’ Association ended after two days without any progress in their ongoing dispute. Peters told Cricinfo the talks would resume on Wednesday, but declined to elaborate on whether the contractual dispute would likely be resolved.A major obstacle that could stand between the West Indies players’ and their desire to play in the IPL is the need for them to obtain No Objection Certificates from the WICB. But when confronted with a similar situation last year, the IPL commissioner, Lalit Modi, left the door open for West Indies players to join the lucrative Twenty20 tournament without the blessing of their board.”We will request them to talk to their board first and seriously think about their situation,” Modi said at the time. “Players should realise their respective boards are their bread and butter. Earning a few thousand dollars is not worth the risk of compromising your relationship with the home board in the long term. At the end of the day, if you are not representing your country, the IPL does not want you. So players should always be mindful of the importance of their relationship with their home board.”As things stand, most of the senior West Indies players are on central contracts which expire at the end of the England series. These were supposed to have been renegotiated some time back, but one insider close to the negotiations told Cricinfo the board was “not protecting the interests of sponsors and key stakeholders” by failing to do ensure that was done.The insider said the players were “exceptionally greedy” adding that “it’s Groundhog Day every year”.Last Friday, players refused to start three domestic one-day matches, while the national team blanked out Digicel branding on their kit with masking tape during the ODI against England. A number of them also boycotted a Digicel event in Guyana at the weekend.Dinanath Ramnarine, WIPA’s chief executive who resigned from the WICB executive last week, refused to comment as he left talks in Bridgetown. It is believed that further meetings are planned for early next week.

It took 42.3 overs on the final day for South Zone to complete a crushing win against North Zone and set up a final clash with West Zone. L Balaji and M Suresh combined well to make the tall ask of chasing 568 even more imposing

Cricinfo staff01-Feb-2009
Scorecard
It took 42.3 overs on the final day for South Zone to complete a crushing win against North Zone and set up a final clash with West Zone. South declared on their overnight score of 319 for 3, to set North an outlandish target of 568 in 90 overs to make the final. Medium-pacer L Balaji and legspinner M Suresh took three wickets each to hasten defending champion North’s defeat.Shikhar Dhawan fought a lone battle for North, his 61 off 100 balls being the only half-century of the innings. After losing Rahul Dewan in the morning’s first over, North resisted with a 70-run stand between Dhawan and captain Aakash Chopra. However once Chopra fell, caught behind by Dinesh Karthik off Suresh, it was the domino effect as the other batsmen surrendered meekly.Suresh and Karthik combined again to run out first-innings hero Sunny Sohal, and when R Ashwin trapped wicketkeeper Uday Kaul leg before in the 19th over, North had slipped to 72 for 4. A 50-run stand between Dhawan and Amit Mishra kept South at bay but Dhawan’s dismissal triggered a mini-collapse, Manpreet Gony and Vikramjeet Malik exiting in quick succession.North’s problems were further compounded as the injured pair of Virat Kohli and Rajat Bhatia were unable to bat. Mishra went on to make 46 before he was the last man out, which ensured that South would be enjoying home advantage in the final at Chennai beginning Thursday.While Rahul Dravid has captained India, Robin Uthappa led Karnataka this season in the Ranji Trophy. Arjun Yadav captained Hyderabad in VVS Laxman’s absence, while Dinesh Karthik was at the helm in Tamil Nadu during the tournament as well. S Badrinath believed his job as South Zone captain was made easier with the presence of such leading lights. “It always helps to have players who are also skippers of other domestic teams,” he told the . “We get more ideas and our job becomes much easier.”

Ashwell Prince has been left out of the first two Tests against Australia at home, after South Africa picked the 11 players who played in Australia recently, as well as left-arm swing bowler Lonwabo Tsotsobe

Cricinfo staff11-Feb-2009
JP Duminy’s stirring performances in Australia have forced South Africa’s selectors to pick him head of Ashwell Prince © Getty Images
Ashwell Prince has been left out of the first two Tests against Australia at home, as South Africa picked the 11 who played the three Tests in Australia recently, as well as left-arm swing bowler Lonwabo Tsotsobe. Tsotsobe is the 12th player in the squad for the Johannesburg and Durban Tests, while Prince, Robin Peterson and Monde Zondeki have been dropped.Selection convener Mike Procter said it was a “difficult decision” to leave out Prince. “We are in the fortunate position of having seven world-class batsmen competing for six positions. It is a very healthy position for South African cricket,” said Procter. “Ashwell is understandably bitterly disappointed but he appreciates that he has not had the opportunity to play much cricket since his injury.”Prince averaged 75 in the successful Test series against England last summer but missed the Test series in Australia due to a broken thumb.”Tsotsobe performed very impressively from limited opportunities in Australia and he gives us extra bowling variety and depth,” said Procter. “We are monitoring Mark Boucher’s recovery from injury and we are confident that he will be fit to play by the time the series starts.”Mickey Arthur, South Africa’s coach, said the recent tour to Australia demonstrated the depth that the team had developed in the batting and bowling departments. “This augurs well for the Test squad going forward into another tough series against Australia. There is also the No. 1 ICC Test ranking at stake which will make the upcoming series even more special for players and supporters.”South African captain Graeme Smith, who is all set to make a comeback from injury by turning out for the Cape Cobras against the Dolphins at Newlands, said the side’s success over the past seven months gave them plenty to build on. “We are all looking forward to getting back into the five-day game and the particular challenges that it poses,” said Smith. “It will also be wonderful to be playing on our own grounds again in front of our own supporters.”The first Test starts on February 26, while the Durban match begins on March 6.South Africa Test squad: Graeme Smith (capt), Hashim Amla, Mark Boucher (wk), AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Paul Harris, Jacques Kallis, Neil McKenzie, Morne Morkel, Makhaya Ntini, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, has welcomed England’s decision to go ahead with the tour of India, pending security clearance, saying it was good for world cricket

Cricinfo staff04-Dec-2008
David Morgan and Haroon Lorgat are keen England’s tour of India proceeds without further duress © AFP
Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, has welcomed England’s decision to go ahead with the tour of India, pending security clearance, saying it was good for world cricket. The security inspection by the ECB’s expert, aimed at assessing the cover provided to players, is underway and Lorgat said the ICC would expect similar security for its match officials.”It is very important for world cricket that England does tour India. We have to do everything to ensure that the tour proceeds with the security measures in place,” Lorgat told Cricinfo. “But at the same time, we can’t be foolish and that is why it is important that the necessary security measures are in place. It’s very good for cricket that England have risen above the events of the past week because of the security measures that have been promised.”Lorgat said that security would be an important item on the agenda during the ICC’s chief executives’ meeting in Cape Town on Monday. “We must do everything possible to play the game without taking risks that cannot be managed. All of us would need to put our heads together to come up with a collective and coordinated approach in responding to global terrorism. Of course, I’m no expert in this area and we must all join hands in tackling this problem with experts and governments supporting us.”Asked about a letter sent by Vince van der Bijl, the ICC’s umpires’ and referees’ manager, to the Indian board asking for similar security to ICC match officials as the players, Lorgat said, “Everyone is an important participant in the Test match and must be accorded similar security measures as the player. Everyone is important.” Jeff Crowe will be the match referee for the series, while Daryl Harper and Asad Rauf are the on-field umpires.Lorgat’s words echoed those of David Morgan, the ICC president, who – before England announced their decision to fly to Abu Dhabi – criticized the view of Geoffrey Boycott and others who argued that the series should be postponed. “I have seen British writers criticising the ECB for wanting to return while the disaster is still ‘raw’ in India, to use Geoffrey Boycott’s expression,” Morgan said in the . “In my view they are failing to understand that it isn’t for British people to make a judgment on what people in India want.”It is quite clear that the people who run cricket in India want the game to resume as soon as possible. Wouldn’t we want the same here if the boot was on the other foot?”Former players such as Boycott and Graham Gooch have pushed for the cancellation of the two-Test series after it was reported that “at least five or six” players may pull out. “I know Mr Boycott is saying that players will be in an inappropriate state of mind, but it’s the same, if not worse, for the Indian players,” Morgan said. “We have to think of the business of cricket as well as the game of cricket. The terrorists cannot be allowed to win.”

Pakistan will tour Bangladesh for a series of five ODIs after thescheduled tour by Sri Lanka in March next year, the PCB has announced

Cricinfo staff24-Dec-2008Pakistan will tour Bangladesh for a series of five ODIs after thescheduled tour by Sri Lanka in March next year, the PCB has announced.Pakistan have not played a bilateral series in Bangladesh since 2002although they played in the tri-nation Kitply Cup earlier this year inMay. “There will be a series of five ODIs in Bangladesh,” Salim Altaf,chief operating officer PCB, told Cricinfo. “The team will leave on March3. The tour is part of the FTP.”Pakistan has played little cricket over the last year, hit bypostponements and cancellations. The latest blow was India’s withdrawalfrom their January tour, though Sri Lanka have said they will replacethem. The series, Altaf said, means at least that the board is trying toarrange matches for the side. “There is an opinion that Pakistan has beenisolated at international level but it’s not correct and we have arrangedtours for the team.”In a bid to ensure that the team does play, Ejaz Butt, the PCB chairman,will meet Cricket Australia officials at an ICC meeting in Perth inJanuary to finalise the five ODIs and Twenty20 Australia is scheduled toplay in March-April in Pakistan.Privately, board officials believe it is likely those games will be playedat a neutral venue. A security assessment is expected before any decisionis made but it is believed that Butt will try and convince CA to sendtheir team over when they meet on January 31.If the series is shifted to a neutral venue, Abu Dhabi or Dubai remain theforemost options, though other venues are also being looked at.

Sir Allen Stanford, who declared earlier this year that Test cricket was ‘boring’, now says he believes that the oldest form of the game can peacefully co-exist alongside the newest

Cricinfo staff27-Oct-2008
Allen Stanford declared Test cricket was ‘boring’ but now he sees a future for it after all© Getty Images
Sir Allen Stanford, who declared earlier this year that Test cricket was “boring”, now says he believes that the oldest form of the game can peacefully co-exist alongside the newest. Speaking to BBC Radio ahead of the US$20 million winner-takes-all match between England and the Superstars in Antigua, Stanford also rubbished notions that he had been in complete control of the tournament negotiations with the England & Wales Cricket Board.”The foundation of the sport is Test cricket, the future of the game is Twenty20,” said Stanford. “Both can co-exist. Maybe one is more for the purist, maybe one is more for the younger, the ‘want to see it now, be entertained now’ crowd.”Like Lord’s is the foundation of cricket, it’s the beginning, it’s the holy grail of cricket,” he said. “You can no more do away with that which is Test cricket and replace it with Twenty20 than you can say that Test cricket is the only thing out there. [That] would be foolish because professional sport, unfortunately, is about money and Twenty20 is what is going to drive, commercially, the dollars in the door.”Stanford’s millions have brought about a revival of interest in cricket in the Caribbean, and have provided a counterpoint to the financial dominance that India has enjoyed since the onset of the IPL. After extensive talks with the ECB, the 20/20 for 20 format was unveiled at a glitzy ceremony at Lord’s in June, but Stanford was at pains to deny that David Collier and Giles Clarke had been “dancing to his tune” during the negotiations.”I think that is a ludicrous statement,” said Stanford. “The ECB had the best management structure in my estimation – you’ve got over two million involved in cricket in the UK all being managed under the ECB and they are not dancing to any tune I have laid out. I have a lot of respect for both Giles and David. We simply came to business terms and like most things in life it’s chemistry and how well you work with people and I have worked extremely well with them.Stanford added that Saturday’s big match represented an investment for the future. “Twenty million dollars is a lot of money but it’s not an enormous amount of money,” he said. “It is the single biggest pay day in the history of team sports but in relative terms for what we have envisioned in this multi-billion sport it is really just an investment in the future.”It’s part of the bigger plan and that plan is to get this game into a commercially viable foothold. For it will be successful and make money and allow the West Indies to regain their rightful spot as the best in the world. You have to make investments, that makes sense today and tomorrow, this puts us on the world stage. We’ll have at least 700million people watching this event globally on Saturday on live television, and the US$20million is what got us there.”