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Mohammad Ashraful, the Bangladesh captain, has stressed the need to be competitive after his side arrived in Darwin for their three-match one-day series against Australia

Cricinfo staff16-Aug-2008
Mohammad Ashraful lays out the challenges that lie ahead for Bangladesh after arriving in Darwin © TigerCricket.com
Mohammad Ashraful, the Bangladesh captain, has stressed the need to be competitive after his side arrived in Darwin for their three-match one-day series against Australia.”We want to show improvement all the way. This is a very challenging tour for us as Australia are a top side,” he said. “But we want to be tough and competitive and will fight all the way. We have the ability and hopefully, we can bring our best cricket to this series.”Ashraful said Bangladesh had enough time to prepare for the series, with five warm-up matches in store. “We have come to Australia a little ahead of the series. We will play five practice matches before the ODIs, and that will give us a good idea about the conditions here.”The Marrara Stadium, which has a drop-in pitch, will host all the three matches. Ashraful felt that the experience of having played on the surface before, as well as the favourable weather conditions in Darwin, will be beneficial for his side. “The last time we were here [in 2003], the pitches did not have too much pace or bounce,” he said. “And the weather here is almost similar to Bangladesh. I think we’ll feel comfortable here.”Bangladesh’s coach, Jamie Siddons, was pragmatic on his assessment of the series, saying that his side’s goal was to be consistent. “I am sure they [Australia] remember the loss to Bangladesh in 2005 and they will come hard at us,” he said. “We are an improving side and the objective remains the same here also. We have shown in the past, that if we get to scores in the region of 250, then we can put pressure on the opposition.”Bangladesh play all their five practice matches at the Gardens Oval, beginning their campaign on August 18, when they take on the Australian Institute of Sports. The first ODI will be played on August 30.

The Transfer Tavern’s EFL spy reckons that Dwight Gayle could score the goals that were missing for Fulham last season.

Whilst former manager Scott Parker showed the Cottagers up defensively, they managed just 27 goals in the Premier League last season, with only rock-bottom Sheffield United scoring fewer.

Talisman Aleksandar Mitrovic failed to hit the heights of the previous campaign, scoring just three in the league, whilst top goalscorer Bobby Decordova-Reid ended with just five.

And if Fulham are to achieve promotion at the first time of asking once again, they’re going to need someone to step up to the plate and fire them back into the big time.

That someone could be Dwight Gayle, who only signed fresh terms with Newcastle earlier this month, but the Northern Echo believe that was to protect his value.

Gayle scored just once in the Premier League last season, but is proven at Championship level, netting 23 times in each of his previous two campaigns at this level, to go with the 13 he managed at Peterborough prior to signing for Crystal Palace – a total of 59.

The EFL insider exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“I’m expecting some big hitters with the money that Fulham have available. I am expecting a big push and a lot of the players will come from abroad and will probably be full internationals.

“Dwight Gayle of Newcastle has scored goals in the Championship and the Premier League, and could give Fulham something they missed last season being an out and out goalscorer.”

Ricky Ponting hopes to improve his average of 12.28 in India during the four-Test series starting next month

Cricinfo staff21-Sep-2008Click here for video of Ricky Ponting’s press conference (not Australia)
Ricky Ponting is escorted by security officials on arrival in Jaipur © Getty Images
Ricky Ponting has departed for India with a personal goal alongside his main aim of retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy: he is desperate to improve his average of 12.28 in India. Ponting said it was a void in his cricket resume and he was keen to rectify it in the coming weeks after Australia arrive in the country on Monday.”I’ve had a couple of disappointing Test series [in India]. In 2001, I made next to no runs,” Ponting said before the team’s departure from Sydney. “The last series over there that we won, I broke my thumb and missed the first three Tests and came back for the last one, and that was the only one we lost.”Ponting’s average in India is his lowest in any country; his aggregate of 17 runs in the three Tests in 2000-01 is his worst in any Test series. He will be attempting to fix his problem against an experienced India outfit.Australia, on the other hand, have lost Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, Damien Martyn, Justin Langer, Darren Lehmann, Michael Kasprowicz and Jason Gillespie from the previous tour to India in 2004. However, Ponting said taking a fresher squad might be a benefit.”I think we made too much of the conditions in India a lot of the times before we get there,” he said. “I think, quite often, the less that you talk about it and the more you get to understand it, the people and the conditions, the better off you are over there.”With the tour following an acrimonious and controversial series in Australia, Ponting hoped the upcoming contest would be played in the right spirit. “There’s been a very healthy rivalry between India and Australia in one-day and Test cricket and our last few Test encounters have been very good and some very close results.”Ponting also said the decision to not tour Pakistan for the Champions Trophy had been the right one, following bomb blasts in Islamabad over the weekend. “It’s devastating for the people involved,” he said. “I mean, we’d be talking hypothetically of us being in the hotel, or England, or South Africa being in the hotel.”I think what we’ve done, right the way through, is that we just have to listen to the advice from the experts, our Department of Foreign Affairs, and security advice. It is an absolute shame that things like this continue to happen in Pakistan because, believe it or not, as players, you want to … play in all the conditions around the world.”

Wolverhampton Wanderers youngster Austin Samuels is headed for Oldham Athletic on loan, according to Adam Millington.

The lowdown

The 20-year-old has yet to make his senior debut for Wolves but does have experience at first team level, having spent the first half of the 2020/21 season on loan at League Two outfit Bradford City.

He was limited to six league starts, and his only goal for the Bantams came in a 7-0 FA Cup victory over Tonbridge. Wolves opted to cut the loan short in January.

Samuels has netted a total of 29 goals for Wanderers at under-18 and under-23 level. After he scored twice in a 4-0 win over Newcastle under-23s in April, coach James Collins hailed him as “excellent” and noted the “poacher’s’ instinct” he had displayed.

Samuels featured for the first team as a late substitute in a 1-0 friendly defeat against Crewe Alexandra on 17 July.

The latest

Millington tweeted: “I understand that #wwfc’s Austin Samuels is set to join #oafc on loan.

“Pacy striker who signed a contract extension with Wolves in the summer. Spent some of last season on loan at Bradford City.”

Prior to the contract extension that Millington noted, Samuels’ deal had been due to expire at the end of the season.

The verdict

The key for Samuels is to force his way into the starting line up. It’s far harder to build rhythm and make an impact when limited to runouts from the bench, which was often his lot at Bradford.

Wolves will also hope that he can find the net in more competitive fixtures against high-calibre opposition, with his only previous senior goal coming against a National League side.

If his goal return is minimal, then it’s very hard to see him making a breakthrough at Molineux despite his strong form at youth level. Samuels could face a pivotal spell at Oldham over the months ahead as he seeks to prove himself to his parent club.

In other news, these Wolves fans react to the possibility of a £45m exit from Molineux.

The West Indies Cricket Board has lost its case with telecommunications giant Digicel in London’s High Court and has been forced to withdraw its sanction for the Stanford 20/20 for 20 match

Martin Williamson07-Oct-2008
It appeared a win-win situation back in the summer when the match was announced at Lord’s … but now the West Indies are out of pocket and England are left waiting to see if there will be any game at all © Getty Images
The West Indies Cricket Board has lost its case with telecommunications company Digicel in London’s High Court and has been forced to withdraw its sanction for the Stanford 20/20 for 20 match on November 1.On the face of it, the decision makes it possible that the game could be off or, if it does proceed, that the Stanford Superstars side will be greatly weakened.But it is believed there are behind-the-scenes negotiations taking place between Digicel and the Stanford organisers which, if successful, will free the way for the match to go ahead with a full-strength Stanford side. It may mean the team’s shirts have Digicel branding and other commercial rights are assigned to the company.The unquestioned losers are the WICB. Not only did the judgement go against it, it also faces having to pay costs running into hundreds of thousands of dollars, and will also forfeit the US$3.5 million it stood to gain from a share of the US$20 million booty put up by Allen Stanford.Digicel insiders say the company was angry that it found out about the deal with Stanford through the media and that more would be made public when the full results of the arbitration were announced.The WICB entered into a contract with Stanford to make all its players available for the event, but it cannot now do so unless an agreement is reached between Digicel and Stanford.Digicel’s case against the board was that if the Stanford match was officially recognised then, as official sponsor to the WICB, it had branding and other commercial rights associated with that deal. The court ruled that the WICB had to remove its sanction for the game as not doing so would put it in breach of contract with Digicel. As this was an arbitration, there is no recourse for the WICB to appeal.What also has to be confirmed is the position of the England board and how appealing the match will be if it was to be against a second-string side, even if it made the possibility of winning the multi-million dollar jackpot more likely.Cricinfo has also confirmed that Tony Deyal, who until July was the board’s corporate secretary, gave evidence for Digicel against his former employers.

Celtic’s talks with Shamrock Rovers for defender Liam Scales are thought to be at an advanced stage, according to Glasgow Live.

The Lowdown: Scales links

Initial links to Scales came out last week, with The Irish Mirror’s Paul O’Hehir one of the first to share discussions between the two clubs for the 23-year-old.

Scales, who was described as ‘really, really good’ by Rovers manager Stephen Bradley, admitted recently that he could be on the move before the transfer window slams shut, with Norwich City and Southampton also thought to be keen on his services.

The Irish Examiner’s John Fallon believes that Celtic could have to pay a ‘significant’ six-figure sum for Scales, and it seems as if transfer talks are progressing well.

The Latest: Advanced stages

Glasgow Live shared a transfer story on reported Celtic target Fabricio Bustos on Monday evening.

Within their report, they dropped a line on Scales, stating that talks between the Glasgow giants and Shamrock Rovers are at an advanced stage.

The Verdict: Desmond’s deal?

Dermot Desmond has a 25% stake in the Irish champions, so perhaps the Celtic chief has helped talks to progress in the past week.

Should Scales arrive at Parkhead, he would offer Ange Postecoglou plenty of versatility. Last season, the Republic of Ireland under-21 international made 10 appearances in his primary centre-back position, 12 as a left-midfielder, one as a left-back and one as a defensive midfielder.

He also showed his goalscoring knack with a crucial last-gasp winner over Longford Town at the weekend, a result which maintained Rovers’ three-point lead in the League of Ireland Premier Division and ensured a happy 23rd birthday for the defender.

He may not be an instant starter, should he sign for Celtic, but over time he could prove a key member of the squad in a number of positions.

In other news: Roma interested in Celtic ace, find out more here. 

Steve Waugh, the man who Ricky Ponting succeeded as Australia’s Test captain, has said Ponting made a mistake by using part-time bowlers instead of his main strikers on the fourth day in Nagpur

Cricinfo staff11-Nov-2008
Ricky Ponting has been under fire from all directions over his captaincy in Nagpur © Getty Images
Steve Waugh, the man who Ricky Ponting succeeded as Australia’s Test captain, has said Ponting made a mistake by using part-time bowlers instead of his main strikers on the fourth day in Nagpur. Ponting has been widely criticised for the choices he made after tea on Sunday, when a quick string of wickets could have given Australia a realistic chance of victory.But Ponting was concerned about Australia’s dismal over rate and rather than handing the ball to his fast men, he went for the part-time slow offerings of Michael Clarke, Cameron White and Michael Hussey, with the frontline spinner Jason Krejza at the other end. India built a sizeable lead and went on to win the match and the series.”I am sure Ricky would regret the decision,” Waugh told the . “Winning the Test match is what mattered. You have just spent six weeks in the subcontinent. You just don’t take your foot off the gas.”After the match Ponting was fined because Australia were behind on their overs but they had hustled enough for him to avoid a possible suspension for the first Test against New Zealand next week. But Waugh had some sympathy for Ponting and said everyone involved in Test cricket needed to keep the game moving quickly.”There are far too many stoppages,” he said. “I remember when I played it was considered a badge of honour not to have a drink in a session [apart from the scheduled drinks break]. And no one died from dehydration. These days there are far too many drinks breaks. It’s ridiculous. But it is just not the captain’s fault. It is up to coaches, referees and umpires to keep the show moving.”James Sutherland, the chief executive of Cricket Australia, has voiced his concerns about slow over rates and he will take the matter up with the ICC. But for now, Ponting is the man under fire after Australia handed the Border-Gavaskar Trophy back to India.Australia’s former captain Allan Border was commentating on television during Sunday’s post-tea session and, despite usually being very restrained in his commentary, he could not hide his frustration at Ponting’s decisions. Another ex-captain, Ian Chappell, also queried Ponting’s tactics but said he remained the best man to lead Australia.Ponting was publicly backed by his coach Tim Nielsen, who said after play on the fourth day that he felt Australia had still pushed for a win. Stuart MacGill, the retired legspinner, wished Australia had “gone for the jugular” but he said Nielsen’s comments proved Ponting was not entirely to blame.”It’s not the captain’s fault and this was clearly a decision at the weekend made by four or five people,” MacGill said. “That became obvious when the coach backed his captain and there were a number of people who would have made the decision.”

Flocking to Twitter, many Tottenham Hotspur supporters have erupted over news involving Manchester City star Bernardo Silva.

As reports surrounding Harry Kane’s future in north London grow and more intense toward the latter stages of this summer transfer window, it is believed the offer of a swap deal shouldn’t be entirely ruled out.

City could offer players plus a sizeable transfer fee in exchange for the 28-year-old (Fabrizio Romano), with Bernardo in particular having been one of the names mentioned in recent weeks (The Daily Mail).

Bringing an update on the Portuguese attacker’s links to Spurs in a potential swap for Kane, journalist Duncan Castles has provided supporters with some encouraging news.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-gossip/” title=”Tottenham latest gossip!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Speaking on The Transfer Window Podcast, Castles claims that Bernardo would potentially look at the Lilywhites as an option should City agree on him being included as part of a deal for Kane.

Flocking to this update, it’s safe to say many fans would take that with the majority seeming eager for Spurs to sign Bernardo.

Find all of their best verdicts, in reply to The Spurs Web, down below.

Spurs fans erupt over Bernardo news

“I beg”

Credit: @Tom_Craigg

“Take the 125 mil and Bernardo. What a deal that would be”

Credit: @jacob_knight112

“Him and 100 million for kane, get it done. Then buy a top cf, cb and rb.”

Credit: @PhilBleach

“OMG YES”

Credit: @lukegreig0

“Yessss”

Credit: @Scorpion12215

“He would improve our midfield immediately”

Credit: @footballmurph

“Nuno would love that”

Credit: @VeteranPeign

“Perfect. Do it”

Credit: @caminho_jr

“NOW WE SPEAKING”

Credit: @thelittlecruyff

In other news: Agreement reached: Tottenham confirm another N17 exit in social media announcement, find out more here.

India gained a crucial 86-run lead on an extremely tactical day’s cricket – one that often resembled a cat-and-mouse game

The Bulletin by Jamie Alter08-Nov-2008
Scorecard and ball-by-ball-details
How they were out

A stroke of misfortune – or dazzling reflexes from M Vijay – ended Michael Hussey’s innings on 90 © Getty Images
India gained a crucial 86-run lead on an extremely tactical day’s cricket – one that often resembled a cat-and-mouse game – through a triple-strike in the middle session and four wickets shortly before stumps. Australia scored 166 runs in 85.4 overs, strangled by the pressure built up by defensive field placings and niggardly pace bowling in the morning, and the loss of the last seven wickets for 100 runs undid a strong platform. Mahendra Singh Dhoni changed his tactics after lunch, giving Australia the opportunity to be aggressive, but they failed to overtake India’s 441.It was clear from the first session which team had a lead to defend. India went in with eight fielders on the off side, repeatedly bowled outside the off stump, and delayed the introduction of the spinners. Australia, who had to force the pace, decided not to start the day with innovative strokeplay and as a result only 42 runs came before lunch. On a good batting strip in front of another poor crowd, Simon Katich and Michael Hussey made steady rather than spectacular process. India’s method should have taken care of Katich on 94, but Rahul Dravid put down a simple catch at first slip off Ishant, grasping it easily and then spilling it.However, unlike in Nagpur four years ago, Katich pressed on and got to his century. The first aggressive shot Katich played – just before lunch – undid him, trapping him lbw to a late-swinging yorker from Zaheer. Katich had faced 50 deliveries since reaching a hundred, 31 on his final score of 102. It had been a strategic morning as the game – on the surface – drifted, but it was interesting viewing as both teams waited for the other to blink first.Smart StatsAustralia scored at a run-rate of 2.63 an over, their second-lowest in an innings since 2000 – they scored at the same rate in their second innings in Mohali.Australia hit 13 boundaries in day, an average of 38 balls for each. They had spells of 24.1 and 19.2 overs without one in the day. Australia scored 42 in the first session at a rate of 1.75 an over, losing one wicket, and 49 for the loss of three wickets in the second, at 1.69 per over.The Australian batsmen offered no shot to 83 deliveries off fast bowlers in the 24 overs bowled in the first session, which saw many deliveries pitched wide of the off stump.Michael Hussey scored at a strike-rate of less than 50 against each bowler except Sachin Tendulkar. Against Ishant Sharma, he made eight off 45 balls. Ishant gave away 13 off 49 deliveries he bowled to Simon Katich.Hussey was run-out for the first time in his Test career, in 48 innings.Slowly, almost unnoticeably, Hussey moved on to 90. He left the ball well and never looked like getting out. There was the odd flourish, most noticeably a brilliant reverse-sweep for four off Harbhajan Singh, collected from well outside leg stump, to go with an inside-out drive off Ishant. Shortly after Michael Clarke was undone by a peach from Ishant for a 44-ball 8, Hussey was run out. It needed something out of the blue to dislodge a man who seemed set to grind India into the dust. Hussey, on 90, punched off the back foot and M Vijay at silly point intercepted the ball and flicked it back to Dhoni, who broke the stumps with Hussey on the move for a single.Eleven deliveries after Hussey departed, Harbhajan cleaned up Shane Watson with one that spun, clipped the forearm and rolled on to off stump. Brad Haddin and Cameron White added 52, but they were never entirely comfortable during their partnership. Haddin was troubled by Amit Mishra and survived a stumping appeal and a couple of shouts to balls that pitched just outside leg stump. Dhoni continued with the old ball and Mishra had his man when Haddin’s nervous padding resulted in ball brushing bat on its way to slip.Dhoni took the new ball and Jason Krejza quickly became Ishant’s 13th victim of the series, trapped in front by a scuttling inswinger. Ishant should have had Mitchell Johnson in the same over, but VVS Laxman dropped a regulation chance at second slip. As the shadows lengthened at 4.30, White drove Ishant sumptuously through the covers for the first boundary in 20 overs and a powerful sweep raised his best score and Australia’s 350. The very next ball, trying to push a sluggish run-rate, White (46) chipped Harbhajan to long-on. If White had played well enough to deserve his fifty, Harbhajan had earned his third wicket with his perseverance on an unhelpful surface. In the next over Johnson’s wild slog settled in long-on’s hands and India had secured an 86-run lead.India’s openers saw out the one remaining over and will harbour hopes of batting Australia out of the Test.

Leeds United have agreed a deal with Celtic for defender Leo Hjelde, according to journalist Stian Andre de Wahl.

The Lowdown: Hjelde’s Celtic career

Hjelde arrived at Celtic Park in 2019 on a three-year deal from Rosenborg.

The Norwegian, described as ‘composed’ by Callum Morris, is yet to make a senior appearance for the Hoops but has some Scottish Premiership experience after going out on loan to Ross County last season.

Leeds were monitoring Hjelde before his loan move to Ross County, and it seems as if an Elland Road switch may now go through.

The Latest: Price agreed

According to Andre de Wahl, the Whites and the Hoops have agreed on a price for Hjelde.

Personal terms have already been agreed, so all that appears to be in the way over a move to Yorkshire is passing a medical.

Football Insider were informed by a Leeds source on Thursday that a medical has been booked for Hjelde.

The Verdict: Not ideal

Former Ross County manager John Hughes tipped Hjelde to become ‘the next Virgil van Dijk’, so a Parkhead exit could be a blow in the long run.

Celtic appear to be building for the future with summer signings Liel Abada, Liam Shaw and Osaze Urhoghide all under 21 years of age, so Hjelde could have been in the club’s plans for the future.

However, it seems as if he may not be around at Parkhead for much longer, so it’ll be interesting to see if Celtic look to replace the 17-year-old before the end of the window.

In other news: Celtic submit offer to sign 6 ft 3 powerhouse for Ange, claims journalist.