Category Uncategorized

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has been charged by the ICC over an alleged ball-tampering offence

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-20162:34

Ganguly: Du Plessis pulled up for the right reasons

Faf du Plessis, South Africa’s stand-in captain, could be suspended for a Test match after being charged by the ICC over an alleged ball-tampering offence.Du Plessis has pleaded not guilty and is seeking legal advice to further contest the charge. A hearing before match referee Andy Pycroft will be held, but a date for the hearing has not yet been set by the ICC.The ICC confirmed in a statement on Friday that du Plessis had been charged for breaching Article 2.2.9 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which relates to “changing the condition of the ball”.The ICC statement said: “The alleged incident happened on Tuesday morning when TV footage appeared to show du Plessis applying saliva and residue from a mint or sweet, an artificial substance, to the ball in an attempt to change its condition.”Level 2 breaches of the Code of Conduct carry a penalty of a fine of 50-100% of the match fee and/or up to two suspension points, and three or four demerit points. Two suspension points equates to one Test match.The charge has been laid by ICC chief executive David Richardson. Cricket Australia did not make a complaint about the incident.

Leeds United have found themselves in a precarious position with no sporting director or manager to lead them following relegation back to the Championship, but now a shortlist of potential managers has been revealed by a reliable source.

What's the latest on Leeds' interest in Carlos Corberan?

According to The Telegraph, the Yorkshire giants are interested in appointing West Bromwich Albion coach Carlos Corberan ahead of next season.

As per the report, Corberan is one of three options being considered by the club's hierarchy with Scott Parker and Steven Gerrard also named as potential options for Leeds.

Would Carlos Corberan be a good fit for Leeds?

The former Huddersfield Town boss will seem like a natural selection to the Elland Road faithful as he could inject some of Marcelo Bielsa's incredible influence back into the team, having been part of the Argentinian's set up at the club before branching out on his own managerial journey in English football.

Corberan became a first-team coach after his success with Leeds U23s and worked alongside the popular manager to successfully secure promotion to the Premier League, before making the move to become manager of the Terriers where he continued to thrive.

The 40-year-old attacking-minded tactician famously guided Huddersfield Town to the playoff final against Nottingham Forest at Wembley last summer but fell short at the final hurdle, which led to a short spell with Olympiacos before returning to the EFL via West Bromwich Albion to replace Steve Bruce at The Hawthorns.

Over 30 Championship fixtures with the Midlands club, the Baggies boss has tallied up 16 victories and four draws with an average 1.73 points earned per game, which put them in contention for a place in the playoffs on the final day of the season and led to a ninth place finish despite being in a vulnerable position near the bottom of the table when he arrived.

Corberan boasts a number of attributes that make him potentially the perfect appointment for the West Yorkshire giants including sound experience of Championship football, a philosophy that emulates Bielsa's successful style of play and will have relationships already cemented at the club with the staff and many members of the squad.

The former Leeds boss was full of praise for Corberan when they worked together and revealed how important the Spaniard's opinion was to him:

"Carlos is a good colleague, I have found that," Bielsa told.

"He is very talented. I listen more to his opinion than I give mine to him."

Whites chairman Andrea Radrizzani is heavily under-fire following a damning report that suggested he had explored the possibility of using Elland Road as collateral for a bank loan he was raising to buy Serie B-bound Sampdoria.

He could begin to win some supporters back, provided he sticks around, by swooping for Corberan, who himself will know too well what is required to bring the good times back to west Yorkshire, given the evidence above, his return would surely be a no-brainer.

Phil Simmons, West Indies’ head coach, has said his bowlers have done well to keep India’s batsmen quiet on day two of the Sabina Park Test

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Kingston01-Aug-20161:35

‘It’s up to the batsmen to stand up now’ – Simmons

Phil Simmons, West Indies’ head coach, has said his bowlers have done well to keep India’s batsmen quiet on day two of the Sabina Park Test. India, 126 for 1 overnight, went to stumps 358 for 5, with a lead of 162.”Usually, you average a day to be 270 in Test cricket with 90 full overs and we have restricted them, especially with [KL] Rahul going the way he was and then the skipper [Virat Kohli] later. Restricting them to 230 (232) in 90 (88) overs shows there’s improvement from Antigua.”He went on to elaborate on this point, saying his bowlers were learning to be patient.”I think they learned today what we have been talking about for the last six months, about being patient in Test cricket. And when the wicket isn’t assisting like this one, you have to be patient and then the pressure that you build from patience will get you wickets. I think what I have learned that they are listening sometimes. I hope they are listening all the time. They are seeking patience now, they are trying to hold these world-class batsmen [back].”Midway through the day, the debutant fast bowler Miguel Cummins pulled up after bowling a wide in his 16th over of the innings, and went off the field clutching the back of his thigh. Simmons said Cummins had suffered from cramps, and hoped he would be fit to resume bowling on the third day.”He had a lot of cramps today,” Simmons said. “I can’t tell you why because I’m not a doctor. But yeah, we basically played with two quicks today. Hopefully he will be better tomorrow and do his job.”When the second new ball became available, India had a new batsman at the crease in Kohli, but West Indies chose not to take it immediately, instead waiting until the start of the post-tea session, by which time 11 more overs had elapsed.Asked about this, Simmons’ response was terse. “I haven’t spoken with the captain, so I don’t know.”Jason Holder, the captain, had chosen to bat despite the first-day pitch sporting a fair covering of grass and looking like it was moist underneath. Simmons said he had made the right decision, and the batsmen had failed to do their job.”Batsmen are supposed to bat,” he said. “I didn’t think there was any threat in the wicket yesterday. So I would bat first again.”Simmons hoped his bowlers would continue to bowl as they had done on day two.”The only thing we can do is to come tomorrow again and work hard to get the wickets that we have to. And then the batsmen have got to stand up because the bowlers have stood up today and hopefully they will stand up again tomorrow morning and we get the wickets we need. It’s up to the batsmen to stand up now.”Simmons expected India’s spinners, who took six wickets in West Indies’ first innings, to remain a threat in the second innings as well.”It’s definite,” he said. “[R] Ashwin is the No.1 bowler in the word. He is going to be difficult on any wicket you play him on, let alone a wicket that’s turning and has some bounce too. It’s going to be difficult but that’s what Test cricket is about. If it’s not difficult it won’t be called Test cricket. The batsmen know that they have to come and make sure that they put their heads down and they have to work hard against both spinners.”Rain is forecast on the three remaining days of the match, but Simmons said he wasn’t hoping for the weather gods to intervene just yet, and still had some hope that his players could turn the game around.”I don’t think we need them yet,” he said. “I will tell you on the fourth day if we need it on fifth day. The wicket is still playing very well so it’s up to the batsmen to get their heads down and get some runs.”

Vani Morea’s maiden List A century and John Reva’s all-round effort led Papua New Guinea to a 21-run win over Kenya in their World Cricket League Championship match on Monday

ESPNcricinfo staff30-May-2016
ScorecardVani Morea held PNG’s innings together with his maiden List A ton•ICC

Vani Morea’s maiden List A century and John Reva’s all-round effort led Papua New Guinea to a 21-run win over Kenya in their World Cricket League Championship match on Monday. PNG’s second consecutive win against Kenya, after their six-wicket triumph on Saturday, lifted them to third on the points table.Morea scored an unbeaten 102, opening the innings, to steer PNG to 249 for 6 in 50 overs after they elected to bat at Amini Park in Port Moresby. In reply, Kenya were on course at 210 for 3 in the 45th over, but medium-pacer Reva’s career-best 4 for 31 led to a collapse and they were bowled out for 228 all out in 47.5 overs.PNG were reduced to 27 for 2 by the seventh over after losing Lega Siaka and Assad Vala. Morea and Sese Bau then combined for a third-wicket stand of 124 to steady the innings. Bau contributed 66 off 78 balls and struck nine fours and two sixes before he was trapped lbw by legspinner Collins Obuya. PNG lost quick wickets after the partnership was broken but Morea held firm and, along with Reva, added 73 unbeaten runs for the seventh wicket to steer PNG to 249. Reva was unbeaten on 43 off 33 balls, having crunched four fours and two sixes. Obuya was Kenya’s best bowler with figures of 4 for 42 off eight overs.Kenya lost opener Irfan Karim early, while Gurdeep Singh’s opening burst ended on 27 off 19 in the sixth over. The two Patels – Rushab, who top-scored with 95, and Rakep, the captain, stitched together a third-wicket stand of 88. After Rakep’s dismissal, Obuya (38) continued the good work by adding 85 for the fourth wicket with Rushab. Once the duo fell – in the space of eight deliveries in the 45th and 46th overs – Kenya lost their last five wickets for 13 runs.Norman Vanua, the new-ball bowler, took three wickets, but was expensive and leaked 47 in seven overs. Chad Soper and Bau took a wicket apiece.

Sussex captain Luke Wright has said that they are ready to give Mustafizur Rahman some time off before his stint with the county next month. Reports suggest that they expect him to make his debut on June 10 in the NatWest T20 Blast game against Kent in Hove.Given the progress of the Hyderabad Sunrisers in the ongoing IPL, it is likely that he will be busy till May 29, after which he is supposed to join Sussex for the NatWest T20 Blast and the Royal London One-Day Cup.But he has recently informed people close to him in Dhaka that he is eager for a break after the IPL. But the general view in the BCB is that they want Mustafizur to play in the UK, which they feel will set him up strongly in his career.Wright was confident that Mustafizur, who has already missed their first NatWest T20 Blast match against Gloucestershire on Friday, would play a number of games for Sussex whenever he arrives in Hove.”Fizz is definitely coming but we are just clarifying the number of games he is going to play,” Wright told the . “We have to understand he is a young lad who has been away from home for a long time in an environment where he doesn’t speak the language. He’s also played a lot of games so we want to give him enough time to rest so that when he does come over we get the best out of him.”We always knew he was likely to miss the first two games so it is a case of whether he misses an extra game or not. Obviously we’d like him for as many games as possible as he is in such great form but either way he’ll still be available for a large chunk of the matches.”Wright said that they would wait for Mustafizur to arrive, given the reputation he already carries. He has so far taken 15 wickets in the IPL, after performing exceedingly well for Bangladesh against India, South Africa and Zimbabwe last year, and in the World T20 this year.”When we did our research on him people told us what a big player he was going to be. When someone like Kumar Sangakkara says he is a special talent then you sit up and take notice.”He’s proving how good he is out in India at the moment so we’ve done very well to get him on the deal we have as I don’t think he’ll be quite so cheap in the future,” he said.

Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins was hailed by the media for a "sensational" performance against Newcastle United in the Premier League this afternoon.

What was the Aston Villa vs Newcastle result?

Villa secured their fifth Premier League win on the spin, courtesy of a 3-0 victory against Newcastle at Villa Park, with Jacob Ramsey and Ollie Watkins getting on the scoresheet, in what was yet another fantastic performance.

The result sees the Villans remain sixth in the table, still faring well in their pursuit of European football, and Watkins was singled out for a particularly impressive display.

Journalist Raj Chohan took to Twitter during the match to say: "Watkins wow, this is a prime Mandzukić type of performance. Hold-up play sensational, aerial threat & running Newcastle ragged in the wide channels."

Football writer Jordan Cronin was also full of praise for the striker, claiming he "caused absolute mayhem" for the Newcastle backline during the first half.

How did Ollie Watkins play against Newcastle?

The striker was a real live wire in the opening 45 minutes, hitting the post inside the opening 30 seconds of the game after outpacing the Newcastle defence, in what was a sign of things to come for the rest of the game.

The 27-year-old set up Ramsey's opener after picking the winger out inside the area, before having a goal disallowed for a very marginal offside just after the hour mark.

However, the Englishman did not have to wait long for a much-deserved goal, scoring minutes later, for what was the 11th time since returning from the international break, with no player in the Premier League being involved in more goals during that period.

Villa have managed to put themselves in a decent position to qualify for Europe next season, and if Watkins continues to play at his current level, achieving a remarkable 9.0 Sofascore rating this afternoon, they have a very strong chance of securing a top-six finish.

Tottenham sporting director Fabio Paratici ‘loves’ former Barcelona boss Luis Enrique as reporter Alasdair Gold shares what he knows on the tactician.

The Lowdown: Conte leaving?

Spurs head coach Antonio Conte is thought to be slipping closer and closer to the N17 exit door with reports suggesting that he has no future at the club.

The Italian’s contract is set to expire at the end of this Premier League season, and while Spurs have the option to extend his stay by 12 months, that is currently very unlikely to happen.

Conte is allegedly set to be sacked by the Lilywhites and chairman Daniel Levy as Paratici is tasked with finding his replacement.

A shortlist has already been drawn up with many names in contention. including Mauricio Pochettino, Roberto De Zerbi, Luis Enrique, Thomas Tuchel, Marco Silva and Thomas Frank.

Conte’s outburst after Spurs’ 3-3 draw at Southampton last weekend appears to have been the final with Chelsea’s former head coach seriously not holding back.

“We are 11 players that go into the pitch. I see selfish players, I see players that don’t want to help each other and don’t put their heart (in),” said a furious Conte at St. Mary’s, continuing further to lash out at the board and club as a whole.

The Latest: Gold shares Enrique to Spurs update…

Speaking in a football.london Q&A, the reliable Spurs reporter claims Paratici ‘loves’ the former Spain manager and he could be a ‘fascinating’ option.

He adds that Enrique could be a risky option considering his lack of experience in England and the fact his football is ‘very different’ to Conte’s.

Gold said:

“Luis Enrique would be a fascinating choice and he’s someone Fabio Paratici loves, along with Porto boss Sergio Conceicao, who is reportedly considering stepping down at the Portuguese side.

“Enrique’s football is very different to Conte’s and would require a revamping of the squad, which might be no bad thing. There’s also a element of risk with the Spaniard when it comes to his lack of success outside of his club management in his homeland, mainly those two seasons at Barcelona, and trying to apply his methods quickly at a Premier League club aiming to remain a top four club would be a big task.”

The Verdict: Perfect Pochettino alternative?

The Champions League-winning boss is certainly an option with real pedigree given he has managed some of the biggest names in world football and competed for the biggest prizes.

We believe Enrique would be a perfect Pochettino alternative given the Spaniard’s status as a current free agent and emphasis on attacking football.

Reports have also suggested that the 52-year-old is a real frontrunner for the Spurs job so this could well be one to keep a close, close eye on.

Chelsea have accepted the fact that they will make a huge loss on Romelu Lukaku should they sell the striker this summer, according to reports in the last 48 hours.

The Lowdown: Exit highly likely

The Belgian made his return to the Premier League and indeed Stamford Bridge back in 2021 but is currently out on a season-long loan at Inter Milan after falling out of favour.

In January, Spanish reports relayed an update from the 29-year-old admitting that doesn’t want to return to work under Graham Potter, which has alerted several clubs to his potential availability.

Saudi Arabian clubs, Everton and Aston Villa have all been credited with an interest in the forward, but most recently, a new transfer plan has emerged.

Calciomercato claim that the Blues could look to include their player in a deal to re-sign Tammy Abraham, but no matter where he ends up, the club will be down from a financial point of view.

The Latest: Chelsea accept fate

According to Football Insider, Chelsea have ‘resigned themselves’ to the fact that they will be making an ‘enormous loss’ on Lukaku should his sale be sanctioned later in the summer.

Inter’s attacker arrived in SW6 for a £97.5m fee but ‘sources with knowledge of his situation’ believe that Todd Boehly will have to accept a cut-price sum of less than £30m.

The Blues are already paying for part of his salary whilst on loan and it’s stated that the owner needs to ‘trim the squad’ and ‘balance the books’ ahead of the 2023/24 term.

The Verdict: Let him leave

Lukaku has made zero appearances under Potter being at Inter since he was appointed, and that won’t change any time soon, so Chelsea would be making the right decision to cash in, albeit for a significantly lower fee than they would have liked.

The 104-cap international scored just eight goals in the top flight throughout the whole of the 2021/22 season before returning to Italy, therefore lacking the kind of prolific form required to succeed.

The Antwerp native has also been previously slammed for his performances in the capital by journalist Josh Bunting who labelled him a ‘disgrace’, stating that he has a ‘rotten’ attitude and should ‘never play for the club again’.

Chelsea have reached an agreement to sign RB Leipzig striker Christopher Nkunku in the summer so Lukaku’s replacement is already lined up, it’s now just a case of finding a potential suitor that would be able to put the best offer on the table.

A development has emerged on Aston Villa attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho and his current injury situation…

What’s the latest on Philippe Coutinho’s fitness?

The Villans head coach Unai Emery has confirmed that the Brazil international is set to be out until April after picking up a knock during the week.

Journalist Matt Maher described it as a “sour” ending to the day as it was revealed in the aftermath of the club’s 2-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park in the Premier League.

Speaking after the match, the head coach said: “Coutinho is injured and it’s longer than one week. It’s a muscular injury. I think he’ll be out for one month, more or less. Yes, after the international break.”

Is Coutinho’s injury bad news for Emery?

This latest setback for the former Liverpool man is bad news for Emery as his absence in the upcoming games could be a big blow for the Spaniard.

The Villans have three Premier League matches to play before the international break at the end of March and the midfielder may not be back until the club’s trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea on the 1st of April.

Coutinho appeared to finally be hitting form after a difficult start to the campaign and he will now have to sit on the sidelines and for over a month before working his way back to fitness again.

The maestro failed to produce a single goal or assist in his first 19 Premier League games of the season and prior to the loss to Manchester City, supporters may not have viewed losing the midfielder as a big blow.

However, his performances against the champions and Arsenal in his last two outings suggested that he was on the right track to making himself a key player for Villa again.

Coutinho recorded a Sofascore rating of 7.4 against Pep Guardiola’s side by completing two dribbles, winning four of his six duels, and registering one shot on target in just 14 minutes of action.

The 30-year-old followed that up by winning six duels, creating one chance, and finding the back of the net in the 4-2 loss to the Gunners – calmly receiving the ball and placing it into the bottom left corner from just inside of the box.

His displays showed great promise and the magician – who scored five goals and assisted three in the Premier League for Villa last term – could have been getting back to his magical best.

Therefore, his injury comes as a big untimely blow for both him and Villa, given the attacking quality he has the potential to provide, with any absence now set to represent bad news for Emery.

Insider Dean Jones has claimed that Wolves winger Adama Traore will be definitely leaving the club at the end of the season.

What’s the latest on Adama Traore and Wolves?

The future of the Spaniard has been up for some debate now and with his contract set to expire this summer, it doesn’t sound as though there will be a renewal.

In January, the player spoke about his future, seemingly leaving the door open to either staying or leaving. Indeed, he told Sky Sports: “For me, right now, it is important to help the team grow and after we’ll see what will happen.”

And no doubt, he would have been keen to see what life is like under new manager Julen Lopetegui but it seems as though he things haven’t panned out well so far.

Speaking on Chasing Green Arrows, Jones said: “Adama will be done now, I think, at Wolves, to be honest. This is his last season there.

“He’s not really enjoyed – well, in recent times, not enjoyed much at all. I think there was a possibility that under the new manager, he might get a new lease of life.”It’s not looking likely, and from what I’m told, Traore’s going to be going at the end of the season.” Is it time for Traore to leave Wolves?

Traore has played regularly in the Premier League this season with 20 appearances but has failed to nail down a starting role, featuring in the first XI on just eight occasions.

He did start in the club’s most recent game but failed to do enough to help Wolves pick up any points as they lost 1-0 at home to fellow relegation rivals Bournemouth. Though, not for the want of trying, as he was named “Wolves’ best player” in the BirminghamLive player ratings but still couldn’t deliver a telling blow.

And in general, he has never been able to produce enough end-product despite his raw talent. For example, across his last three league campaigns he has scored a total of just four goals. And in his whole career, he has just nine goals for 180 top-flight outings in England.

And so, when we reach the summer, it certainly won’t be a shock to see Traore leave without extending his contract.