All posts by h716a5.icu

Cameron Mirza entered the record books by becoming the first USA Under-19 batsman to score a century

Peter Della Penna10-Feb-2011Cameron Mirza, a 17-year-old born and raised in the suburbs of northern New Jersey, created history on Monday by getting the highest score by a USA Under-19 player. Mirza carried his bat in USA’s 285-run win against Argentina on the first day of the ICC Americas U-19 Division One in Florida. He went on to score 118, only the second ton by a USA U-19 player, after Amer Afzaluddin’s ton against Argentina U-19 in 2001. The third highest score by a USA U-19 player is Andy Mohammed’s 90 against Afghanistan in the 2009 Youth World Cup qualifier, in Toronto.”It felt great, it was a relief,” Mirza said. “I was really excited when the coach told me I was going to open and I just couldn’t wait.” Mirza scored his century in 125 balls with 10 boundaries before finishing with 12 fours in his knock. It was his first game playing for USA at the U-19 level after previously playing in the U-15 squad at an ICC regional event in Bermuda in 2008.”I think he [Mirza] fits the bill,” Robin Singh, USA’s U-19 coach, said. “He’s somebody who takes his time and in 50 overs you have a lot of time to play and he fits that role pretty well.”Mirza’s mother, who travelled to Florida for the game, is Irish-American while his father immigrated to America from Pakistan. Mirza only started playing cricket four years ago after he saw his father watching a game on TV. Two years later, he became one of the first junior players in America to secure a bat sponsorship deal. He is one of only six American-born players in the current USA U-19 squad.Mirza is highly rated by current Bangladesh bowling coach Ian Pont. In the last few years, he has travelled to Potchefstroom in South Africa and Mumbai to take part in camps run by Pont.”[The camps in] India really helped with batting for long periods of time,” Mirza said. “[The camps in] South Africa helped me a lot with playing quick bowlers and India was great for spin. They all just chipped in little parts that came together.” Mirza has also spent extensive time training in New Jersey at DreamCricket Academy and Indoor Cricket USA, two places that have a fast growing reputation for producing USA U-19 representative players over the last three years.Mirza had set a personal goal before the start of the tournament to be the highest run-scorer at the end of the week. After the first day, he’s in the driver’s seat on the leaderboard and could very well achieve that goal. “I’d like to do that every game and I feel like because I did that in the first game, there’s expectations now for me to do it again,” Mirza said. “I’m confident but I realize its cricket. Anything can happen.”

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan moved into overdrive on his Worcestershire debut after opener David Wheeldon got stuck in the slow lane at Derby

Cricinfo staff21-Jul-2010
Scorecard
Tim Groenewald had Worcestershire in early trouble before Shakib Al Hasan launched a counterattack•PA PhotosBangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan moved into overdrive on his Worcestershire debut after opener David Wheeldon got stuck in the slow lane at Derby. Shakib raced to 90 off 82 balls while Wheeldon batted for just over three hours for 20 on his first Championship appearance of the season.Tim Groenewald took three wickets to reduce Worcestershire to 66 for 4 but Shakib and James Cameron, with a career-best 89, carried the visitors to 279 with Derbyshire closing 236 runs behind on 43 without loss.There had been plenty of movement for the seamers after Vikram Solanki elected to bat on a pitch which had been uncovered during the rain affected 40-over match against Gloucestershire the previous night. With the ball also swinging in the humid air, the batsmen had to struggle forsurvival and Wheeldon was beaten numerous times although Daryl Mitchell was the first to go when he got an inside edge into his stumps in the ninth over.Solanki hit five fours before he mistimed a pull at Steffan Jones and Groenewald claimed his second victim when Moeen Ali was caught behind down the leg side in the penultimate over before lunch.Wheeldon had scored 12 runs from 82 balls in the morning and he continued to play and miss repeatedly after the interval but Alexei Kervezee was next to go when he was lbw to a Groenewald inswinger.Shakib attacked from the start and quickly passed Wheeldon whose laborious vigil ended when he top-edged a hook at Garry Park after facing 127 balls in 45 overs. Worcestershire then slammed on the accelerator as Cameron ,who was playing in only his third first-class match, and Shakib plundered 101 in just 16 overs.Shakib reached 50 off 49 balls and then launched a punishing assault on Robin Peterson, hitting the South African left-arm spinner for 22 from seven balls while Cameron brought up the century stand by driving Greg Smith’s off spin over the long-on boundary.But in the same over, Smith ended Shakib’s entertaining innings which contained 16 fours when he got one to spin to have him caught behind three overs before tea.Cameron reached his half-century from 67 balls and although Peterson trapped Ben Cox lbw for 17, he came in for some more harsh treatment after Richard Jones had been smartly caught at slip off Smith who ended with impressive figures of 2 for 33 from 18 overs.Cameron passed his previous highest score of 75 by driving Peterson for six and the Zimbabwean then hit the next two balls over long-off but his chances of a century were hit when Matt Mason was run out off a misfield.Peterson had the last word when Cameron was caught at long-on going for his fifth six which left Derbyshire with 11 overs to negotiate. Although Chris Rogers survived a strong lbw appeal against Mason, he and Wayne Madsen played out the day with few alarms.

Adama Traore’s move from Wolves to Tottenham will be completed in the coming ‘hours and days’, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Traore exit looking certain

The Spaniard has been linked with an exit from Molineux numerous times in recent weeks, with a host of clubs thought to be keen on snapping him up.

Spurs have emerged as the clear front-runners, however, with Antonio Conte seeing Traore as someone who can add much-needed firepower to his squad.

The 25-year-old’s current Wolves deal expires in the summer of 2023 and there has been no sign of a new contract being agreed.

The Latest: Romano provides update

Taking to Twitter on Saturday morning, Romano gave a key update on the situation, saying Wolves and Spurs are still working on a likely deal being completed:

“Adama Traore deal not done/fully agreed yet but Tottenham are confident to reach the agreement soon. Negotiations with Wolves will continue in the next hours and days. Personal terms already discussed with Adama. Spurs are on it.”

The Verdict: Matter of time

Traore’s exit from Wolves now feels inevitable, bringing to an end an up-and-down spell at the club, in which he has too often blown hot and cold.

While the wide man’s effort levels, blistering speed and immense power cannot be questioned, his end product has left a lot to be desired. A tally of just 11 goals and 18 assists in 153 appearances is not good enough for such an attack-minded player.

Should Wolves receive around £20million for Traore, it will be a shrewd piece of business, allowing them to sign someone more tailor-made to excel under Bruno Lage.

In other news, Tim Spiers has reacted to a fresh claim that will affect Wolves. Read more here.

Ravi Bopara has been recalled to England’s squad for the final ODI against Bangladesh on Monday in place of the injured Ian Bell

Cricinfo staff11-Jul-2010Ravi Bopara has been recalled to England’s squad for the final ODI against Bangladesh on Monday in place of Ian Bell, who injured his left foot during Bangladesh’s five-run win in Bristol.Bopara has not played an ODI for England since their Champions Trophy defeat to New Zealand last September and had originally missed out on the squad for this series. The selectors opted for Jonathan Trott ahead of Bopara, a choice Trott justified by top-scoring with 94 in England’s defeat.The injury to Bell was particularly unlucky after he had only just returned into England’s one-day side having not played since November 2008. He marked his comeback in style with a Man-of-the-Match-winning unbeaten 84 to guide England to a six-wicket victory in the first ODI at Trent Bridge, but now faces up to seven weeks out of the game after fracturing the fifth metatarsal in his left foot.Bopara has been in good form with both bat and ball for the England Lions but is unlikely to feature in the final ODI at Edgbaston unless England opt to repeat the formula that brought them defeat – playing six batsmen and leaving out the second spinner.

Sunderland have been issued a huge injury lift over attacking midfielder Alex Pritchard after he was absent on Monday…

What’s the latest?

Black Cats boss Alex Neil has explained why he was not in the squad for the clash with Plymouth and provided hope for the final three matches of the campaign.

He told the Sunderland Echo: “What we couldn’t do is risk him, the last thing I want to do is put him on for 20 minutes, he breaks back down and we then miss him for the next week.”We’re at a stage now where if you are out for any period of time, you miss all the remaining games.”I’m very, very hopeful that if we get a good week, well three days under his belt [before Saturday], then let’s see how he goes for the next week.” Supporters will be delighted

Supporters will be delighted with this news as Pritchard’s return will be a major boost for the club ahead of a crucial set of games.

The Black Cats are one point above Sheffield Wednesday, having played one match more, in the race for a play-off position and are two points off fourth with a game in hand on fifth and fourth. This means that they have a big chance to land in the top six by the end of the campaign and their clashes with Cambridge, Rotherham and Morecambe.

Therefore, Pritchard coming back is vital for Neil as he has the quality to unlock defences. Sunderland struggled badly in the final third without him against Plymouth on Monday as they failed to create any clear-cut chances to score, managing two shots on target in the 0-0 draw.

In League One this season, the Englishman has created 2.1 chances per game and provided eight ‘big chances’ in 33 outings. This shows that he has regularly been delivering in the final third in terms of being able to create openings for his teammates, which would have helped the likes of Nathan Broadhead and Ross Stewart earlier this week.

The 28-year-old has the magic touch on the ball, with four goals and seven assists this term, and can be the difference-maker as Sunderland fight for a play-off position. This is why the fans will be buzzing to read Neil’s ‘hopeful’ comments regarding his current injury situation as he can play a huge role in the team in the coming weeks.

AND in other news, Fewer touches than Patterson: £2.7k-p/w SAFC gem with 87.5% duels lost flopped today…

Brendon McCullum is likely to miss the first two Twenty20s against Pakistan due to back stiffness

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Dec-2010New Zealand have suffered a setback as Brendon McCullum is likely to miss the first two Twenty20s against Pakistan due to back stiffness. On Wednesday, he had been named in the squad for the three Twenty20s over the next week but his availability was in doubt after a fitness test. New Zealand are already missing regular captain Daniel Vettori, who has been rested for the Twenty20s.McCullum had injured his back during the second Test against India in November, in which he scored a double-century to secure a draw, but played in the third Test and three of the five ODIs that followed. The back problem had ruled McCullum out of much of the ongoing HRV Cup, New Zealand’s domestic Twenty20 tournament, as well. He plays as a specialist batsman in Tests but continues to keep in the shorter formats.”He has shown great determination and a great willingness to push through discomfort in order to help New Zealand during the recent tour of India,” said selector Glenn Turner, “but because Brendon is committed to being a wicketkeeper-batsman for New Zealand in limited-overs cricket, we are taking a longer-term view and will not risk further setbacks.”The first Test against Pakistan starts on January 7, for which McCullum is expected to be definitely available, though whether he plays the final Twenty20 on December 30 will depend on the result of another fitness test.”The medical staff are confident that intensive treatment and the right rehabilitation will stabilise his injury and get him back to full fitness,” Turner said. “He may be available for selection in the third Twenty20 as a batsman but only if the testing and assessment prove that his involvement will not have a detrimental affect on his overall recovery and his ability to wicket-keep in the one-day series.”The Pakistan series is rounded off by six one-dayers starting January 22 and will be the final international matches for both teams before the World Cup.

Gareth Cross smashed a six off the penultimate ball to give Lancashire Lightning a dramatic Friends Provident t20 victory over Warwickshire Bears at Old Trafford

20-Jun-2010
ScorecardTom Smith anchored Lancashire’s chase with a calm half century•Getty ImagesGareth Cross smashed a six off the penultimate ball to give Lancashire Lightning a dramatic Friends Provident t20 victory over Warwickshire Bears at Old Trafford.Despite a half-century from Tom Smith Lancashire still needed 12 from seven balls chasing the visitors’ 126 for six when the wicketkeeper strode to the middle. He despatched the first delivery for four and after Keith Barker conceded just two off the first four balls of the final over, Cross sent the second ball he faced sailing over the boundary to wrap up a five-wicket win and condemn the Bears to only their second North Division defeat.Lightning had struggled to chase totals during defeats to Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire and although Imran Tahir claimed three for 18 they were always up with the rate. Paul Horton (23) shook off a blow to the chin from Neil Carter to smash a six and a four in three balls off Chris Woakes in the second over.He and Smith worked the spinners well and put on 48 before Horton was bowled trying to sweep Tahir in the spinner’s first over. The leg-spinner then struck with the last ball of his next two overs as Stephen Moore was stumped by Tim Ambrose for three and Steven Croft holed out to Darren Maddy for five.But Smith kept his head with his fifth score over 40 in seven matches. He and Simon Katich took Lancashire to the verge of victory before the Australian holed out to Maddy for 17 at the end of the 18th over with 14 still needed.But when Smith was trapped lbw by Carter off the last ball of the following over Lancashire were 115 for five and needed Cross’ last-ditch heroics to see them over the line. Only Jim Troughton had any significant impact with the bat for the Bears making an unbeaten 42 off 34 balls.Having decided to bat they were put under pressure with some tight bowling from Nathan McCullum and Smith – restricting them to just 12 runs off the first three overs. Sajid Mahmood then struck with the second ball of the fourth over and Katich took the first of three catches as Jonathan Trott went for just four.Carter and Maddy tried to up the rate, with Maddy hitting McCullum for the only six of the innings. But spin proved the undoing of the pair as Stephen Parry first bowled Carter for 20 in his first over and then Simon Kerrigan struck twice in two balls.The 21-year-old got Maddy with his second ball thanks to a great full-length diving catch by Katich at backward point. He then trapped Varun Chopra lbw first ball as Warwickshire slumped to 63 for 4. Croft continued an impressive display in the field for Lancashire as he took a tough catch to dismiss Rikki Clarke off Glen Chapple. And Katich claimed the last of his victims to get Ambrose off the first ball of the final over, leaving Mahmood with 2 for 27.

Shahid Afridi the Pakistan captain, has asked for the infusion of youth for the Asia Cup starting in Sri Lanka on June 15

Cricinfo staff01-Jun-2010Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan captain, has asked for the infusion of youth for the Asia Cup starting in Sri Lanka on June 15.”We should have three to four new players along with the seniors so that we can strike the right balance in the one-day side. I think the time is right to start grooming and giving exposure to some of our young lot because we also have to keep the 2011 World Cup in mind,” Afridi said.Afridi was reacting to a query over the omission of 19-year old allrounder Hammad Azam from the 35-member long list of probables for the Asia Cup and the tour of England. He said that neither he nor team coach Waqar Younis had a say in the selection of the probables.”The selectors had picked that squad but as a matter of policy myself and the coach want to give exposure to young players so that they can provide stable support and back up to the seniors in future,” he said.Afridi refused to comment on the controversial inclusion of Shoaib Malik in the list, following the reversal of his ban after being accused of causing unrest within the side. “It is something that concerns the board. As far as I am concerned whoever is eligible for selection is an important player for me,” Afridi said.Yawar Saeed, the manager of the squad, was confident that the team would not face any problems over Malik’s return. Saeed was not with the team during the tours of Australia and New Zealand, after which Malik came in for harsh criticism from Afridi, former captain Mohammad Yousuf, former coach Intikhab Alam and tour manager Abdul Raquib, for his attitude.”All these players have played before when I was manager and I faced no problems at all from them. They know each other well so I don’t think it is a big thing if Malik or even Younis Khan is selected in the side,” said Saeed, who was a member of the PCB inquiry committee over the side’s performance in Australia.”There is no personality clash involved anymore and the New Zealand and Australian tours are past. The code of conduct on tour is the same for any player. I am confident no player will give me or PCB any cause for complain.”

Graham Gooch has described the prospect of Essex playing some of their future home matches at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford as a ‘win-win scenario’, after their involvement in a joint bid with West Ham Football Club and Newham Council was confirmed

Andrew Miller01-Oct-2010Graham Gooch has described the prospect of Essex playing some of their future home matches at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford as a “win-win scenario”, after their involvement in a joint bid with West Ham Football Club and Newham Council was confirmed by the club chairman, David East, following the submission of the application to the Olympic Park Legacy Company on Thursday.Gooch is a lifelong fan of both Essex and West Ham, having been born and brought up in nearby Leytonstone, and believes that the prospect of a high-profile cricket venue in the East End of London can only be good for the county’s future. “For us it makes complete sense,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “We’re obviously developing our ground at Chelmsford, so it’s not intended to be a home for Essex cricket, but as a county that stretches right down to the city of London, it makes sense for us to try and have a base in the boroughs there.”Two London football clubs, West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur, are in the running to take up principal residence at the Olympic Stadium in the aftermath of the 2012 games, having both registered their interest with the OPLC ahead of Thursday’s deadline. However, Tottenham’s late application is widely regarded as a back-up plan in the event that their £400million redevelopment of White Hart Lane fails to materialise.West Ham’s bid remains the strongest contender, not least because the club’s current ground, Upton Park, is just a few miles down the road in the same borough of Newham. Their bid received tacit backing from the Government on Thursday when the application was delivered to 10 Downing Street by three of its players, Carlton Cole, Mark Noble and Scott Parker.Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, East stressed that Essex’s part in the bid was low-key at present, and would be subject to the overcoming of certain technical constraints – the most significant of which is the OPLC’s current insistence on a running track around the venue’s perimeter, a problem which a West Ham spokesman suggested could be overcome through the use of synthetic grass. Should those obstacles be surmounted, then the venue would in theory be available to Essex during the football off-season between May and August, and would make an attractive base for Twenty20 cricket in particular.”Our plans are at a very early stage,” said East. “We’ve expressed our interest and have formed part of the bidding process for West Ham, who are seeking to demonstrate that they can operate, not just football, but a multi-sport delivery stadium. There’s a good strategic fit for us, in that we have responsibility for five London boroughs in terms of cricket development, and one of those is Newham. But at this stage we are very tentatively dipping our toes in the water.”Essex and West Ham have forged close links over the years, not least through the exploits of Sir Geoff Hurst, who played 23 times for Essex seconds in the early 1960s, and once for the first XI in 1962, before making his name as a centre-forward for West Ham and earning immortality by scoring a hat-trick for England in the 1966 World Cup final.”There’s been a long tradition between the two professional clubs,” said Gooch, who regularly conducted his pre-season training with the football squad at Upton Park. “And for me personally, it’s a fantastic proposal, because as a lifelong supporter of Essex cricket and West Ham football, it seems a natural tie-up. A joint bid would dovetail nicely, because the months we’d want to use the ground for Twenty20 cricket would be midsummer, when the football season is not on.”A further benefit of bringing cricket to the Olympic Stadium would be the focal point it would provide for cricket in East London, not least the sizeable but largely untapped Bangladeshi community in nearby Tower Hamlets. “We’ve got to look to promote the interests of our club,” said Gooch, “and it would be great to have a visible base where we play some professional matches, and tap into the ethnic communities living there. It’s a win-win for us.”Aside from Gooch, many prominent Essex players have come from East London, including Nasser Hussain (Ilford), Ravi Bopara (Forest Gate) and Varun Chopra, who moved on last season (Barking). However, since the loss of the Ilford Festival, for financial reasons, in 2003, there has been no significant Essex cricket played in Greater London, which is something that East is keen to rectify.”We like the idea of the bid,” said East. “The Ilford festival was our foothold in East London in terms of first-class cricket, so if we were able to find a base back in the area, where we could drop in a few Twenty20 matches and capitalise on a community from which we draw a lot of players, it would be fantastic. That was our motivation behind supporting the bid, but it’s still early stages, and we will pick it up with West Ham as and when they get a green light to proceed, or at least a bright amber light.”East added that he had not been aware of any interest from Tottenham until their bid for the stadium had been made public. “I haven’t given it any thought at all,” he said. “The attraction for us was the clear strategic link [through Newham Council]. At the moment we are where we are, we’ve supported the West Ham bid, and we’ll see what the outcome is.”

Former Scotland defender believes talks will already be ongoing behind the scenes at Celtic regarding the permanent transfer of Jota. 

The lowdown: Deal to be done

Signed on loan for the 2021/22 campaign, according to a report from The Scotsman, the Hoops can land the 23-year-old permanently for £6million in the summer.

However, Bhoys boss Ange Postecoglou recently claimed that talks over the permanent switch will have to wait until the end of the season as the Hoops look to wrap up a 52nd Scottish top-flight title.

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One ex-Scottish Premiership man believes the deal could already be in the offing, though, with Hutton telling Football Insider the parts are likely moving behind the scenes…

The latest: Hutton reacts

Speaking to FI, who lead with a headline of ‘secret talks’, former Rangers ace now BBC 5 Live pundit Hutton has suggested that the club’s hierarchy will be making plans as we speak.

“They will be talking about it in the background. I don’t think there’s any doubt about that.

“It just hasn’t probably got out there into the public domain yet. There’s no doubting his quality, we see it.

“He scores goals, he assists, he’s a real threat on his day. They’ll want to tie him down, Postecoglou will want that to happen.

“Then he can move on to other areas of the pitch where he feels he needs to strengthen and this isn’t a distraction. So I’m pretty sure, in the background, they will be talking about it.”

The verdict: Fingers crossed

Jota has been nothing short of sensational at Parkhead this season and wrapping up this deal, alongside the move for Tottenham Hotspur loanee Cameron Carter-Vickers, should be regarded as a top priority for the summer.

So far this season the Portuguese attacker has scored 11 times and registered 12 assists in 36 appearances across all competitions, earning a superb 7.53 average Sofascore rating in the process – the third highest in the league.

Valued at £4.95million (Transfermarkt), if Hutton is correct and the Hoops can complete the signing of the 18-cap Portugal Under 21 ace from Benfica for the mooted fee, it would not only add top-quality to the Celtic Park squad but would also be a shrewd financial move.

In other news, Frank McAvennie is in awe of one Celtic player’s development. Find out who it is here.