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The possibility of a Pakistan domestic side participating in the Champions League Twenty20 this year – though bleak – has not been entirely written off yet

Osman Samiuddin13-Feb-2010The possibility of a Pakistan domestic side participating in the Champions League Twenty20 this year – though bleak – has not been entirely written off yet, either by the league or the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).Pakistan did not have a representative in the inaugural tournament last year, the only Test-playing nation other than Bangladesh to not have a representative in the 12-team league. Sialkot Staliions – then Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 champions – had been invited to participate in the very first Champions League, but that was postponed because of the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008.Since then, as ties between the governments and cricket boards of India and Pakistan have become frostier not only have the two countries not had a bilateral series, Pakistan’s players have not participated in the IPL and not been invited to the Champions League.Relations have worsened further following the decision of the IPL franchises this year to not pick any Pakistani players, despite Pakistan being the World Twenty20 champions and having as many as 12 players up for auction. The PCB eventually decided to revoke all NOCs it had given to players hoping to participate in the IPL, but the door may remain open for participation in this year’s Champions League, which is a multi-board venture and may not be played in India.Discussion on a Pakistan representative was expected to take place in the last meeting of the league’s governing council between officials from the Indian board, Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa. But a senior league official said the number of teams in this year’s tournament – to be held in September – has not been finalised.”No final decision on participating countries/teams has been made for this year’s event,” Dean Kino, the league’s director of business and legal affairs and key member of the core management, told Cricinfo when asked specifically about the possibility of a Pakistan side being invited.No contact has yet been made with the PCB and though the IPL remains off-limits, the Champions League is a possibility. “Nothing has been discussed with us by any of the boards involved in the tournament as yet,” Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, told Cricinfo. “The IPL remains persona non grata for us, but if there is some contact about the Champions League we will consider the situation, where it is played and when. We would be amenable to sending a team should we get an invite and the situation is feasible.”Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 tournament has not yet been held this season; it is scheduled to be played between late February and early March. Pakistan’s ODI series with England in September also clashes with the dates of the Champions League, which makes it unlikely that any domestic champion will be able to call on its best players should there even be an invite.

Aston Villa are interested in a deal to bring Joe Gomez to Villa Park in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Mirror, who claim that Steven Gerrard is hoping to strike a deal with Liverpool regarding a loan move for the centre-back this winter.

The report goes on to state that the Reds’ £36m summer signing of Ibrahima Konate has knocked the England international down the pecking order at Anfield, something that the 41-year-old Villa boss is attempting to take advantage of.

However, it is also claimed that Jurgen Klopp will not have forgotten the defensive injury crisis his side suffered last season, something which could see the German block Gerrard’s potential move for the 24-year-old.

Gerrard’s dream deal

While things appear to be very much on the up at Villa Park under the new leadership of Gerrard, with Villa having won both of their fixtures since the 41-year-old’s appointment at the club earlier this month, it is undeniable that, should the club wish to mount a serious charge towards the top end of the Premier League table, they must strengthen in the January window.

And, considering the fact that Villa have already shipped 21 goals over their 13 top-flight fixtures in the current campaign, centre-back would certainly appear to be a position that is in more urgent need of winter reinforcements.

As such, while it is true that Gomez has not featured all that much for Liverpool this season, featuring just seven times in all competitions for the Reds, the defender has nevertheless proven in the past that he would make a fantastic addition to Gerrard’s options in the heart of defence.

Indeed, over his 28 Premier League appearances back in 2019/20, the £27m-rated man helped his side keep 12 clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.4 interceptions, 0.8 tackles, 2.1 clearances and winning four duels per game.

These returns saw the £75k-per-week centre-back earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.92, ranking him as Liverpool’s 13th-best performer in their title-winning campaign.

Furthermore, Klopp is clearly an enormous fan of the 24-year-old, with the German coach stating of Gomez back in 2020: “Since he is playing as a centre-half again – his natural position – together with [Virgil van Dijk] there is exceptional. He is a sensational footballer, which is good.

“He has outstanding speed, which helps us a lot to keep our last line high; he is a really good challenger; good in one-on-one situations; football-wise, I said already, good. The package is really nice.”

As such, it would indeed appear highly advisable for Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens to do all they can to secure a deal for the 11-cap England international in January, as not only would Gomez appear to be a dream upgrade on Villa’s current options in the position, he could also help replace the potentially outgoing Tyrone Mings – who has been heavily linked with a move to Newcastle United this winter.

In other news: Hatfield drops AVFC January transfer claim which will be music to the ears of fans

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O torcedor do Corinthians que ainda não conhece a Arena inaugurada no bairro de Itaquera em 2014 terá a possibilidade de visitar o estádio de graça nesta quarta-feira. O clube decidiu transferir seu compromisso válido pelas quartas de final da Copa do Brasil sub-17 da Arena Barueri para a Arena Corinthians e entra em campo às 16h, contra o Vitória.

Será a primeira vez da categoria juvenil do Timão no estádio e não haverá cobrança de ingressos. O Setor Norte estará aberto para receber a Fiel Torcida, enquanto o Setor Sul, com entrada pelos portões Credenciamento Staff e Portão G, será destinado aos torcedores do Vitória. O clube ainda anuncia que jogadores de todas as categorias do clube estarão presentes na Arena Corinthians.

O Corinthians é atual campeão da Copa do Brasil sub-17 e defende o título nesta temporada. O time eliminou Grêmio e Londrina nas fases anteriores.

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Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has been handed a significant injury boost ahead of his side’s Premier League clash against Liverpool on Saturday afternoon.

What’s the story?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday ahead of the game against the Reds, the 41-year-old confirmed that the likes of Danny Ings, Matt Targett and Morgan Sanson look all set to be available for selection.

He said: “We’ve got Danny Ings back which is a real positive. People who have been coming back from injuries a few weeks back are getting fit and stronger and are pushing for places so there’s a load of positivity going around at the moment.

“Matty Targett has trained all week. He’s ready to go. Danny’s trained as well but we obviously have to be really respectful to where he’s at given the setback he had from the previous injury but he’s trained the last two sessions and has looked really strong so he’ll come back into the squad.

“We have a couple of kicks from yesterday, but we think they’re all going to pull through. Morgan Sanson wasn’t feeling too well but we’ve had good news this morning that he’ll be back in to train. Obviously, Bertrand and Leon will be missing.”

Huge injury boost for Villa

Make no mistake about it, having the trio back for the match against Liverpool later today is a significant shot in the arm for Gerrard as he looks to continue the team’s revival under his watch.

The new Villa boss has masterminded a real turnaround in form since his arrival as Dean Smith’s replacement a few weeks ago, but he will know that there is arguably no stiffer test in the Premier League than a trip to Anfield to face high-flying Liverpool.

Ings, who of course has played for the Reds himself and boasts a formidable scoring record in recent campaigns, will surely be chomping at the bit to make his mark today, while the returns of Targett and Sanson bring some more experience and quality at left-back and in midfield respectively.

Villa fans will surely be buzzing with this latest injury update from the manager as he goes back to Merseyside this afternoon.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has dropped a promising Aston Villa update…

Ricky Ponting, after becoming the third batsman to cross 12,000 runs in one-day cricket, has said he is chasing milestones set by Sachin Tendulkar

Cricinfo staff03-Oct-2009Listen to Ponting’s press conferenceRicky Ponting crosses another landmark•Getty ImagesRicky Ponting has been piling on the runs over the past month, highlighted by his authoritative century against England on Friday that sealed Australia’s berth in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy. He attributed his superb form to the week’s break he took after a draining Ashes campaign.”I’ve felt really good since the break after the end of the Ashes series, since I’ve come back I’ve felt like I’ve been batting really well and felt in control more importantly,” he said. “When you’re out their batting or out there leading the side you always want to feel in control and I’ve certainly felt that in the last couple of weeks.”During his unbeaten 111 in the semi-finals, Ponting became the Champions Trophy’s leading run-getter and also crossed the 12,000-run mark, only the third batsman to reach that milestone. “It is a nice achievement but I had no idea before the game how many runs I had scored,” he said. “I hit runs for my country and when my career is over I can reflect on the successes.”Ponting received a round of applause in Centurion as he pulled Graham Onions for four to deep square leg, and then raised his bat to acknowledge the crowd and his team-mates. He sits behind Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya in the list of all-time ODI run-getters. Ponting is the only Australian with over 10,000 runs and has an enormous buffer over the next of his countrymen on the list – Adam Gilchrist is second with 9619 runs.Ponting also paid tribute to Tendulkar, the leading run-scorer in ODIs and Tests. “The number of innings of his I have been able to sit back and watch, I think he is an amazing player,” he said. “Look at his stats and records and it’s quite incredible for someone to have stayed in the game for 20 years. He has set benchmarks for guys like me to chase him and get as close as we can. If I had to last 20 years, I would probably be batting in a wheelchair.”In Tests, Ponting is also third to Tendulkar’s 12,773 runs with 11,345. Like Tendulkar, Ponting has stepped down from playing Twenty20 internationals for his country.

Following Steven Gerrard’s appointment as Aston Villa’s new manager last week, the 41-year-old has been linked with a host of players that he could look to bring into Villa Park in the upcoming January transfer window.

And, considering the incredible success the former Liverpool captain achieved with a number of players in his former Rangers side, such as Ryan Kent, Joe Aribo, Glen Kamara and Nathan Patterson – all of whom have been tipped for a reunion with Gerrard at the second city side – perhaps these rumours should not come as a surprise.

However, before the manager goes splashing the clash on incoming signings this winter, it may well be wise to take a closer look at some of Villa’s up and coming talents before doing so – with Carney Chukwuemeka being arguably the most promising of the club’s academy products at present.

Chukwuemeka could save Villa millions

Being dubbed as “the best 16-year-old in England” by Aston Villa chief executive Christian Purslow last year, exactly how high expectations are for the future of Chukwuemeka amongst those at Villa are clear for all to see.

Indeed, it is equally easy to understand why Purslow holds this belief about the central midfielder, as, over his 26 appearances for Villa’s U18 side, the £2.25m-rated man knocked up a highly impressive ten goals and eight assists, in addition to bagging a further three goals and five assists for the club’s U23 side.

These returns led to reports that both Manchester City and Manchester United started to keep a very close eye on the progression of the recently turned 18-year-old, while the likes of Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Juventus, RB Leipzig, Monaco and PSV have also been credited with an interest in the England U19 international.

However, despite his abundance of potential, Chukwuemeka has so far played just 81 minutes of Premier League football for Aston Villa, something that Birmingham Live suggest could see the youngster tempted into a move away from Villa Park upon the end of his current contract in the summer of 2023.

And, with Jack Grealish very much being the archetypical example of how important an academy graduate can become when given the opportunity, in addition to the not-dissimilar level of talent Chukwuemeka possesses in comparison to that of the £90m-rated Manchester City man when he was first coming through, it would seem highly advisable for Gerrard to start unleashing the 18-year-old on a much more regular basis in the coming weeks.

The youngster could just end up saving the club millions of pounds in the January transfer window.

In other news: Ashley Preece drops “serious” Aston Villa transfer claim which is sure to excite fans

Rangers want at least £10million for Crystal Palace target Joe Aribo, according to Football Insider.

The lowdown

The publication reported last week that Palace were monitoring Aribo’s situation at Ibrox with a view to a possible move.

Aribo, formerly of Palace’s London rivals Charlton Athletic, has two years left to run on his contract in Glasgow.

Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa, who was a team-mate of Aribo at The Valley, has marvelled at his ‘unreal’ abilities and likened him to Yaya Toure (via Daily Record).

The 25-year-old has started all of Rangers’ league matches so far this season and has been their fourth-best performer, WhoScored metrics show.

He’s averaged 2.2 successful aerial duels, two key passes and 1.7 dribbles per 90 minutes.

The latest

A Rangers source has made clear that ‘the club have no intention of letting Aribo go easily’.

A £10million sale would be the fourth-biggest in the club’s history behind Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Alan Hutton and Jean-Alain Boumsoung (via Transfermarkt).

The verdict

It’s hard to argue that isn’t a fair price-tag for a player who’s established himself as a mainstay under Steven Gerrard.

You wonder if Aribo is being lined-up as a potential replacement if Palace are unable to secure the permanent signing of Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher.

They’re not exactly the same mould of player, but both provide real attacking impetus from the middle of the park.

In other news, fans react to this transfer rumour. 

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has revealed that Leeds United star Kalvin Phillips has a “chance of being fit” ahead of this weekend’s Premier League clash against Southampton after providing an exciting four-word update.

What’s the story?

The midfielder was a late withdrawal from the England squad for Gareth Southgate’s side’s World Cup qualifiers, with medical staff deeming him unfit after the Whites’ 1-0 win over Watford.

And now, Hay has revealed where things stand with Phillips and whether he could make it for Saturday afternoon’s clash against the Saints.

In the full tweet, Hay said: “Bielsa speaking at his pre-Southampton presser. Bamford is out of Saturday’s game with his ankle injury. Phillips (calf) has a chance of being fit for it.”

Encouraging signs for Leeds

Last season saw the Whites struggle without their midfield lynchpin, winning just two out of nine Premier League games that he missed, and that saw Darren Bent speak about the kind of importance of the England international.

He said: “It is a unique role, and you think who else can they get in that position who can do the job effectively. The answer to that is no one. He’s that good of a player that it’s hard to replace him.”

As per WhoScored, Phillips ranks second for tackles made per game in the top-flight this season for Leeds, while unsurprisingly, he features in the top three for average passes per game – the kind of tough-tackling play-maker that the Whites rely so heavily on.

Hay’s update that the England star is in the frame for Saturday’s game against Southampton is sure to have fans buzzing, therefore, especially when you consider their side only picked up their first win of the new Premier League season just before the international break.

Meanwhile, Noel Whelan has reacted to this Phil Hay reveal…

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

Phillip Hughes has taken over from his fellow left-hander MatthewHayden as Australia’s Test opener but that’s about where thesimilarity ends. The pair couldn’t be less physically alike andHughes’ first substantial innings at international level has alsoshown that, apart from having the confidence to go for his shots, hisbatting style bears little resemblance to that of his predecessor.Hayden was big in every sense of the word and so imposing that when hewalked at the bowler it was easy to imagine his thunderous presenceopening up new cracks in the pitch. Hughes, at 170 centimetres, is soslight that on a particularly bad surface he could almost slip throughone of those fissures. It shouldn’t be any great surprise, then, thatthe men handle fast bowling rather differently.It’s hard to remember Hayden ever backing away from a bouncer; hepreferred to hook or duck. Hughes, who edged behind when he flashed ata high, wide bouncer from Dale Steyn in the first innings, was heavilytested by short stuff in his second innings. The South Africans weresurprised by his strange technique. As Steyn delivered a threateningbarrage, Hughes shuffled backwards in a manner that brought to mindStuart MacGill more than Matthew Hayden.But while he backed away he wasn’t backing down. Hughes was preparedto use the pace and cut over the cordon, which is a method he hasemployed since he played A-grade cricket at the age of 12 in the NewSouth Wales town of Macksville. When the older fast bowlers would tryto rattle the precocious kid with bouncers, Hughes refused to bebullied and regularly rocked back to slash them over the slips.Fast-forward eight years and not much has changed.”I thought that was the outstanding part of it, that he did stand upfor himself,” Australia’s coach Tim Nielsen said. “He took thechallenge on, head on. They’re good quality fast bowlers and theybowled fast and they bowled aggressively at him. There was obviouslysome bi-play going on out there and they were trying to get under hisskin but he really hung in there and he was willing to take them onwith some aggressive cricket.”That Hughes went on to post 75 in his second Test innings was a creditto his determination. His runs didn’t come easily, nor prettily, butit was impossible to look away during his 159-minute innings. He isparticularly strong square of the wicket and when he was given widthhe cut with reckless abandon, sometimes through point if not over thecordon. Balls were driven uppishly wide of fielders and there wasbarely a dull moment during his charmed existence.Twice Hughes was caught behind off his gloves from Morne Morkelbouncers but both times he was reprieved by the umpire Billy Bowdenand the South African captain Graeme Smith, who wasn’t certain enoughto ask for referrals. At 20, Hughes is a year younger than Smith waswhen he made his Test debut. While the two men were in the middlelocked in battle, Nielsen felt as though he was watching a raw versionof the South African captain.”I wouldn’t be surprised in the future if you see Phillip Hughesplaying similar roles to what Graeme Smith does for South Africa as anopening batsman,” Nielsen said. “He’s going to be a pugnacious, strongbackfoot player that’s willing to take on any contest and he’s shownthat in his first Test today.”

When Hughes brought up his half-century with one of his mostconventional shots, a terrific off-drive to the boundary off Morkel,he was congratulated by his partner and captain Ricky Ponting. AfterHughes acknowledged the crowd’s applause, Ponting made a special pointof walking up to his new colleague and handing out some advice.Whatever it was, it didn’t seem to include a smile.But there must have been plenty of happy faces in Macksville, whereHughes was raised in a banana-farming family. It’s a small townbetween Sydney and Brisbane that prompted the travel writer BillBryson to write: “It is possible, I suppose, to construct hypotheticalcircumstances in which you would be pleased to find yourself, at theend of a long day, in Macksville.” Bryson went on to clarify that itwouldn’t be his feeling in the normal course of events.At the end of a long day on Thursday, the locals weren’t too happyeither. They had been promised free beer at one of the town’s pubs foras long as Hughes’ first innings lasted. Four balls gave them barelylong enough to get to the front of the queue at the bar. At least whenhe scored his half-century in the second innings it was duringprime-time in Australia, even if the beer wasn’t free.When he slammed Paul Harris over midwicket for six it looked like hemight have enough luck on his side to join Marcus North in scoring acentury on debut. But his fortune soon ran out. Hughes glanced a catchto leg slip later in the same over and walked off having shown histremendous talent but also some potential weaknesses.He’ll never play just like Hayden, who before the tour advised Hughesto “be himself”. Nor will he ever look like the mountainous Smith, butif he increases the batting resemblance to South Africa’s captain thatso impressed his coach, Hughes will be a supremely valuable man foryears to come.