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South Africa have moved back ahead of India in the ICC Test Championship table after defeating Bangladesh by an innings in both matches of their two-Test series last month

Cricinfo staff01-Dec-2008South Africa have moved back ahead of India in the ICC Test Championship table after defeating Bangladesh by an innings in both matches of their two-Test series last month.India and South Africa had been separated by just a fraction of a ratings point before the series began, so the prospect of a change in the pecking order was always on the cards, after India had claimed the No. 2 spot by beating Australia 2-0 in October and November.Despite South Africa’s yawning margins of victory at Bloemfontein and Centurion, there are still 13 points separating them from the pace-setters Australia, who made amends for their India defeat by sealing a 2-0 series win over New Zealand in Adelaide on Monday.Meanwhile, at the other end of the table, New Zealand have slipped below West Indies in eighth place. They had been just one ratings point ahead of West Indies before the series but defeats in Brisbane and Adelaide mean they now slip down the ladder.However, the good news for Daniel Vettori and his team is that they have an immediate opportunity to claim the place back as they prepare to play host to West Indies for a two-Test series later this month. Victory in that series would enable them to return to seventh in the table but a drawn series or defeat will leave West Indies ahead.

ICC Test Championship

01 Dec 2008

Team Matches Points Rating

Australia 34 4409 130 South Africa 37 4331 117 India 40 4659 116 Sri Lanka 28 3032 108 England 38 3965 104 Pakistan 19 1895 100 West Indies 22 1791 81 New Zealand 27 2183 81 Bangladesh 20 0 0

Cricket NSW chief executive Dave Gilbert has urged players to not let the high-worth contracts offered by IPL franchises affect the team’s performance.

Cricinfo staff09-Dec-2008
Dave Gilbert thinks David Warner could be “the Kolpak player of Australian cricket” © Getty Images
The Cricket NSW chief executive Dave Gilbert has urged players not to let the high-value contracts offered by IPL franchises affect the team’s performance. His comments follow the signing by Kolkata Knight Riders of the allrounder Moises Henriques, 21, for a reported US$300,000.Two other young players from New South Wales, the batsman David Warner and allrounder Steven Smith, have also been linked to the Twenty20 competition, even though Warner hasn’t made his first-class debut and Smith has played only five matches. “During the pre-season I addressed the entire squad and told them what I thought would happen in terms of contracts in India,” Gilbert told the .”I warned them not to let IPL jealousies get in the way of our team or our objectives. We don’t want a situation where one player earns X and another earns Y and there are problems. At the moment we have not seen this thing fully play out. I don’t think anyone yet really understands the ramifications of what we are seeing.”He felt Henriques’ case “might just be the beginning” of teams targeting lesser-known players instead of shelling out big money for internationals who have national team commitments. Gilbert said Warner, who hit a New South Wales record 165 off 112 balls in his seventh domestic one-day game last month, could be “the Kolpak player of Australian cricket”.”He could be the guy who becomes the first player to put the realities of Twenty20 into focus,” he said. “He is making large strides in the game and generating a lot of excitement without having played a first-class game.”You can’t blame him [from looking to the IPL]. He is a state-contracted player earning a modest income and for a 22-year-old, some of the figures that are being tossed around must be mind blowing. We have no issues at all with him [negotiating with IPL franchises] … We just don’t want it to impact on our own domestic leagues.”The recent interest shown in New South Wales players had also brought into question the role of the coach Matthew Mott, who is also an assistant coach to John Buchanan in the Kolkata-based team. Mott, though, felt the contracts would aid New South Wales in the long run.”I think the IPL will be of enormous benefit to these guys, it is a great opportunity to play with the best players in the world,” he said. “Sometimes you have to pinch yourself when you look around the room. These are players that really made their mark in international cricket. You can’t really get a more contracted bunch of players of that calibre together in one competition anywhere else.”Greg Shipperd, the Victoria coach, is hoping to sign a few players for Delhi Daredevils, the IPL franchise he also looks after. “The franchises have realised there is perhaps more value for money in some of our state players, you don’t have to be a super name – you just need an opportunity,” Shipperd said. “I certainly hope a number of Victorian guys get the chance to play. [Delhi] are nibbling around and formulating, we’re just going through the set-up of the draft and player exchange and doing our homework.”

Celtic endured a difficult start to the campaign, but Ange Postecoglou’s Hoops are now starting to find their form and head into their clash with AZ Alkmaar on a four-game winning streak.

The Scottish giants opened their 2021/22 season with a 3-2 loss to Midtjylland on aggregate in the Champions League qualifiers and a 2-1 defeat to Hearts in the Scottish Premiership. They have, however, followed that up by scoring 16 goals in four games against Jablonec (x2), Hearts and Dundee.

Postecoglou’s side now face Dutch opposition in the form of AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League and the Australian head coach will be hoping his team can continue their incredible goalscoring form.

On the Chalkboard

Teenage forward Liel Abada missed out on Celtic’s last two matches due to a knock and is now available again for selection. He sat out the 3-0 win over Jablonec and the 3-2 win against Hearts, but is now in contention to return to the side as Postecoglou has revealed that he is ready to play.

With games now coming thick and fast throughout this month before the first international break, it is important for Celtic to rotate their side in order to avoid overplaying players. Supporters would be frustrated if a lack of load management caused a key player to suffer a crushing injury that keeps them out of the side for a prolonged period of time, so making changes is key.

30-year-old James Forrest has already played 446 minutes of competitive football this season and it could be the perfect opportunity to give him a rest and unleash Abada to make an impact against Alkmaar. The 19-year-old, who joined the club for £3.5m this summer, has the quality to be a game-changer for the Hoops

Postecoglou hailed the forward as unbelievable last week and explained his absence against Jablonec in the second leg of their Europa League clash. He said:

“He pulled up a bit sore yesterday. He’s 19 and we’re throwing him in there.

“He’s been unbelievable but I just felt it was about time to give him a rest. The medical team think he should be alright for Sunday. We erred on the side of caution.”

Abada has started his career in Scotland in fine fettle, with two goals and two assists in five appearances. Despite only playing 90 minutes in one of those five games, he has been able to show off his quality in the final third by delivering end product to go with his performances.

This shows that the £2.7m-rated talent can change a game by scoring or creating a goal from out wide. Therefore, Postecoglou must rest Forrest and unleash Abada against Alkmaar to give the Eredivisie side something different to think about whilst defending.

AND in other news, “Decision to make”: Manager’s update on 23 y/o gem will potentially excite Celtic fans… 

Doug Bollinger is unsure whether he will be part of the Test squad for the South Africa tour despite a useful debut in Sydney

Cricinfo staff15-Jan-2009
Doug Bollinger played in Sydney, but is waiting to discover whether he will be in South Africa © PA Photos
Doug Bollinger is unsure whether he will be part of the Test squad for the South Africa tour despite a useful debut in Sydney. Bollinger, a left-arm opening bowler, took two wickets in the SCG victory over South Africa but was overlooked for the Twenty20 and one-day international outfits.Gaining a place on the South Africa visit will become harder if Stuart Clark regains fitness for the trip following elbow surgery. Clark is looking to play Sydney grade cricket on January 24. “I am hopeful,” he said in the Sydney Morning Herald. “I haven’t got final clearance yet.”Bollinger was also uncertain of his playing prospects. “I don’t know,” Bollinger said in the Australian when asked if he would make the squad. “I’ve just got to keep doing what I’m doing and hopefully I’ll get a gig. I’d be really excited if I do, but we’ll just wait and see what happens.”I don’t think I did too bad [in the Sydney Test], as I said, I’ve just got to keep bashing away. My performance there, I thought I bowled all right. We’ll just wait and see how I go.” The squad is due to be named in the first week of February and the opening Test begins on February 26.

Former Premier League striker Nigel Jemson has expressed his surprise that his beloved Liverpool have not been linked with a potential move to sign Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur.

The £108m-rated England captain has been at the centre of a long-running saga throughout the summer, with Manchester City trying to extricate him from north London.

They have yet to table an offer that meets chairman Daniel Levy’s asking price, however, with reports suggesting that he is demanding around £150m.

Kane was left out of the majority of pre-season, but did make his first appearance of the season at the weekend, coming on as a substitute against Wolves in the 1-0 win at Molineux.

Liverpool have kept their powder largely dry this summer, only bringing in the defender Ibrahima Konate on a permanent deal.

And Jemson is surprised that they have not been linked with a deal to bring Kane into the club from Spurs, and thinks he would be an excellent signing for the Reds.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, he said: “So if Harry Kane wants to leave for trophies, then Manchester City’s the place.

“But then again, would he do a good job for Liverpool? Yes, he would. And I find it quite bizarre that he was never, ever linked with Liverpool.”

The Indian Cricket League remains keen on recruiting English umpires, despite attempts by the ECB to tie its leading officials to the board with 12-month contracts

Cricinfo staff12-Feb-2009The Indian Cricket League remains keen on recruiting English umpires, despite attempts by the ECB to tie its leading officials to the board with 12-month contracts.Speaking to the Wisden Cricketer magazine, Himanshu Mody, the business head of the ICL, said that two more umpires were set to join. “We approached English first-class umpires because we were keen to maintain international standards. We are still looking at England as a recruiting ground for umpires. In fact, we are in the process of bringing in two more English umpires to officiate in ICL.”But the ECB has made clear that it would not renew contracts of any umpire who signed for the ICL, an approach which was attacked by former first-class umpire Allan Jones. “The current policy and attitude towards the ICL is wrong. The [ECB] don’t want the ICL because it clashes with the IPL. The ECB are worried about security and betting.”We had a small incident but the security is actually very good. The cricket and crowds are fantastic and the TV referrals system works brilliantly. It’s the most fun I’ve had standing up.”Jones took early retirement from the ECB rather than miss out on the IPL, signing a deal with them through to 2011 instead.”It was pretty obvious that no matter how good I was, I wasn’t getting any big matches anymore,” he told the magazine. “The ECB were giving them to all to the youngsters. It wasn’t a difficult decision. I get the same money as I was earning for less than half the time. I was a little fed up driving around England living permanently out of a suitcase.”

According to ESPN (via Marca), AC Milan are closing in on the signing of James Rodriguez from Everton before the end of the transfer window.

The Lowdown: Rodriguez’s time at Everton up

The Colombian only made the move to Goodison Park 12 months ago, but it seems that his time at the club is already up.

With Carlo Ancelotti departing Merseyside to make a return to Real Madrid, Rodriguez has made it clear that he does not want to stay with the Toffees, who have no European football this season.

The Latest: Close to Milan

As per this report, the 30-year-old is closing in on a move to Champions League side AC Milan, who are back in Europe’s primary club competition after a seven-year absence.

ESPN’s Vito de Palma has even claimed [via Marca] that terms have been agreed, calling the deal a “bombshell”.

The Verdict: Unprofessional

Rodriguez showed his ability in flashes at Everton. In 23 Premier League matches, he scored six goals and provided five assists (Transfermarkt), and was even called a “joy to watch” by talkSPORT’s Adrian Durham. However, he has let himself with his conduct in recent times – he has not hidden his desire to seek pastures new and even said he had no idea who Everton were playing prior to their recent clash against Leeds (talkSPORT).

It seems clear that Ancelotti’s presence at Goodison Park convinced £25.2m-valued Rodriguez (Transfermarkt) to make the switch, but his reaction to the Italian’s departure has been unprofessional. While he may be a very special player, few Evertonians will mourn his departure if he completes his move to Milan considering his off-field conduct.

In other news, many Everton fans are delighted with this transfer update.

Keeping hold of Declan Rice and Jarrod Bowen was good business for West Ham, says former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer.

As per The Telegraph, both Manchester United and Chelsea were interested in signing Rice. Elsewhere, The Athletic reported that Bowen was on Liverpool’s radar as Jurgen Klopp considered bringing in another attacking player during the summer transfer window.

Both players ended up staying at the London Stadium, however, and Palmer has hailed the Hammers for keeping hold of the £90m-rated English duo.

Speaking exclusively to TT about Rice and Bowen, the ex-England international said:

“I think it’s good business for West Ham that they’ve kept those players, but obviously the valuations of the players are really high. So as far as I’m concerned, nobody was going to pay the type of money they were asking for.”

Having kept the likes of Rice and Bowen, West Ham look to be in for another strong season.

While it is obviously early days, the Hammers are currently second in the Premier League, two points behind London rivals Tottenham.

It gives them something to really build on after the international break, while they will also have European football to look forward to.

The legspinner Bryce McGain will begin his push for a Test debut when he returns to first-class cricket for Victoria in their Sheffield Shield match on Friday

Cricinfo staff29-Jan-2009
Bryce McGain will be back into first-class cricket on Friday © Getty Images
The legspinner Bryce McGain will begin his push for a Test debut when he returns to first-class cricket for Victoria in their Sheffield Shield match on Friday. McGain has spent most of the summer sidelined by an unusual injury to the tendons in his right armpit and he started his comeback in the state Twenty20 tournament this month.The injury forced McGain home from October’s tour of India, where he was certain to be the first-choice spinner in the Test side. While he has been out of action, Australia have tried Cameron White, Jason Krejza and Nathan Hauritz in the Test team and it is likely that McGain and either Krejza or Hauritz will make next month’s tour of South Africa.”I’m excited and feel I’m bowling well,” McGain said. “I think the Twent20 stuff was good in terms of bowling short spells under pressure; that tests your control and I was happy where I was putting the ball, so I’m looking forward to bowling some longer spells over the next four days.”McGain is not the only Victorian hoping to impress the national selectors against South Australia at the MCG from Friday. The side will be captained by the allrounder Andrew McDonald, who made his Test debut in Sydney, and is hoping to be considered for the South African trip.In the absence of Cameron White and David Hussey, who are on Australian duties, and the injured Brad Hodge, Victoria have recalled the batsman Lloyd Mash, who has not played for his state this season. They are also considering playing the wicketkeeper Adam Crosthwaite as a specialist batsman alongside the four-day gloveman Matthew Wade.South Australia will be without their star import Younis Khan, who has been named Pakistan’s new captain and has a home series against Sri Lanka to worry about. The opener Tom Cooper has replaced Younis in the batting line-up.Victoria squad Chris Rogers, Nick Jewell, Lloyd Mash, Rob Quiney, Andrew McDonald (capt), Adam Crosthwaite, Matthew Wade (wk), Damien Wright, Shane Harwood, Clint McKay, Bryce McGain, Dirk Nannes.South Australia squad Michael Klinger, Daniel Harris, Tom Cooper, Cameron Borgas, Callum Ferguson, Daniel Christian, Aaron O’Brien, Graham Manou (capt, wk) Peter George, Dan Cullen, Mark Cleary, Matthew Weeks.

Queens Park Rangers right-back Todd Kane secured a move away from the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium on Tuesday.

What’s the latest?

In a short statement posted on the QPR website, the club revealed that the 27-year-old had sealed a move to fellow Championship side Coventry City on a permeant deal, with the defender putting pen to paper on a two-year contract with the Sky Blues.

The club finished the statement by thanking the former Chelsea man for his services to QPR over his two-year spell in west London, before wishing him every success in the future.

Music to the ears of fans

With Mark Warburton having overseen a rather remarkable summer transfer window at QPR, the fact that the 58-year-old managed to ship out Kane in the dying hours of the market will be yet further music to the ears of fans.

Indeed, it has appeared for a while that the 27-year-old’s time in west London was up, with the defender coming under fire for stating his belief that he is a better player than his fellow right-back Osman Kakay back in April – since which Kane played just 45 minutes of first-team football for the Rs – as well as receiving an FA charge for using abusive and/or insulting language concerning Sergi Canos’ nationality and/or ethnicity back in May.

Aside from these off-field issues, the £720k-rated man also failed to impress for QPR on the pitch, earning a distinctly average seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.75 over his 28 Championship appearances last season – ranking him as Warburton’s 15th-best performer in the second tier of English football.

As such, getting the £7k-per-week Kane off of the club’s books prior to the closure of the summer transfer window on Tuesday appears not only to be a good move financially but also for squad morale too – something which will delight everyone involved with the Rs.

In other news: Bhatia set to seal QPR transfer masterclass with swoop for “brilliant” £3.6m-rated ace