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Tasmania dropped out of the race for the final as they were dismissed for 214 on the way to a 216-run home defeat

Cricinfo staff06-Mar-2010New South Wales 6 for 468 dec and 4 for 265 dec (Khawaja 89, Hughes 84) beat Tasmania 303 and 214 (Faulkner 59*, Starc 4-51) by 216 runs
ScorecardMitchell Starc finished off the match with 4 for 51•Getty ImagesTasmania dropped out of the race for the final as they were dismissed for 214 on the way to a 216-run home defeat. Mitchell Starc led a fine bowling performance that helped move New South Wales to third, but they will also be fighting for the minor places in next week’s last round.The Blues dominated the contest from the first day in Bellerive and batted on for three overs on the final moring before Stuart Clark declared at 4 for 265. That left the Tigers dreaming of 431 in 91 overs and they were in trouble as soon as both openers had departed by the time the score was 30.Starc took care of Alex Doolan, who scored a century in the first innings, and Tim Paine (30) before sealing the win with two more breakthroughs. His 4 for 51 was backed by two wickets each for Trent Copeland and Steven Smith, who was Man of the Match after his 177. The only batting bright points for Tasmania came from George Bailey, who fought for 48, and an unbeaten 59 from James Faulkner.

Jesse Lingard wants to return to West Ham United this winter, it has been revealed…

What’s the word?

According to the ever-reliable ExWHUemployee, the 28-year-old midfielder has told the Irons of his desire to re-sign for the club during the January transfer window amid reports of his discontent at Manchester United.

His brother, Louie Scott, who is also his agent, is keen on the move too, whilst the Hammers’ hierarchy would like to complete a deal as quickly as possible with Said Benrahma set to represent Algeria at the Africa Cup of Nations next year.

It remains to be seen how much the England international would command at this stage, though some claims emerged recently suggesting that just £10m could be enough to seal him.

Transfermarkt value Lingard at £19.8m.

Major update

This exciting development is sure to leave everyone concerned with West Ham absolutely buzzing, ranging from the coaching staff to the London Stadium faithful.

After the last game of the season, manager David Moyes made it clear that he would like to keep hold of Lingard, telling reporters (via the Evening Standard):

“I hope Jesse’s here, we’d like to keep him, he’s done an exceptional job for us but there’s no guarantees, he’s not our player.”

Evidently, a move failed to materialise, even despite assistant Stuart Pearce’s plea right before deadline day.

“We would like him to come and join us. That has been an open secret. He was wonderful last year,” he told talkSPORT before adding: “He’s a special lad and was very good around the players – the players really like him. His ability shone out last year and gave us a great option in our squad.”

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-west-ham-news-transfer-updates-gsb-kretinsky-moyes” title=”Read the latest West Ham news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

These are feelings that have been echoed by the fanbase, quite frequently, too. In fact, in direct response to Ex’s update, several supporters went wild on social media, as relayed by Hammers.News this weekend.

It’s hardly a surprise to see such jubilation over a half-season loanee but the Red Devils outcast made quite the impact and evidently, he became an instant hit around east London.

His nine goals and five assists helped steer the Hammers into a historic sixth-place finish and subsequently, the Europa League, where they have since qualified for the knockout stages.

Lingard’s experience in Europe and in the Premier League could help Moyes’ side in their quest for glory in the competitions as well as in their attempts to breach the top six this time around.

This update will delight many at West Ham.

AND in other news, Fewer touches than Fabianski: £18m-rated lightweight badly let Moyes down in Wolves defeat…

Leeds United return to Premier League action later this evening and Marcelo Bielsa will be hoping for a change in fortunes on the pitch, having picked up just two wins from their opening 12 matches.

The Yorkshiremen head to the south coast for the late kick-off against Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium off the back of a 2-1 defeat in north London last time out.

Bielsa’s men dominated spells of the first half against Tottenham Hotspur, even going into the break with a one-goal lead, but were undone in the second half.

The Argentine was clearly unimpressed by the performance from Mateusz Klich, who earned a recall to the engine room, as he was the first player hooked and that was just 14 minutes after half-time, right after Spurs’ equaliser.

‘Another difficult afternoon for Klich to shine. Looked despondent as he came off, but his pressing was non-existent in the second half. Summed up why he had not been in the team in recent weeks,’ wrote LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross in his post-match ratings column.

Indeed, the Poland international has been way off his usual standard for the bulk of the 2021/22 campaign.

His last three starts in the Premier League have drawn shocking WhoScored ratings of 6.34 against Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers, and his second-lowest of the season, a 6.17 against Spurs.

As per SofaScore, Klich lost every single one of his duels last Sunday, failed to record a successful dribble and was dribbled past twice by the opposition’s midfield. Passenger-like.

Only four players to have started eight or more games have managed a worse average rating for the entire season, and unsurprisingly they are mainly attack-minded players.

Valued at £8.5m and earning around £34k-per-week at Elland Road, Klich has surely lost his place in the starting XI heading into this weekend’s encounter. At the time of writing, Brighton are sat inside the top ten, so they will be a tough test and the struggling Whites can no longer afford to carry underperforming players like the Polish midfielder.

Bielsa must be ruthless and axe his long-serving favourite from his starting XI tonight.

AND in other news, Beren Cross drops Leeds United managerial update…

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been handed a major boost in their bid to bring Donny van de Beek to Molineux.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Metro, via The Sun, who claim that the 24-year-old will leave Manchester United in the January transfer window if he is not awarded more first-team minutes by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the coming weeks.

The report goes on to state that Wolves are closely monitoring the situation of the Netherlands international ahead of a potential swoop, while Newcastle United are also credited with an interest in the central midfielder.

Furthermore, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano backed up The Sun’s claim regarding Van de Beek in a recent post on Twitter, with the journalist stating: “Donny van de Beek situation is so clear. He loves the club and he’s still super professional in training, doing his best for Man Utd – but if the situation remains the same, he will leave Manchester United in January.”

Shi must act

While it is true that van de Beek has somewhat stagnated since his move to Manchester United back in the summer of 2020, the fact remains that, should Jeff Shi be able to get a deal over the line for the midfielder this January, Wolves will be in possession of a player who, just a little over a year ago, was one of the most promising talents in European football.

Indeed, over his 23 Eredivisie appearances during his swansong campaign with Ajax, the £34m-rated man bagged eight goals, provided five assists and created six big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots and making 1.8 key passes per game.

These metrics saw the player who former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves dubbed “perfect” earn an average SofaScore rating of 7.32, ranking him as the joint 12th-best performer in the Dutch top-flight back in 2019/20.

The £120k-per-week 23-year-old also highly impressed over his five fixtures in the Champions League that season, scoring two goals, registering one assist and creating two big chances for his teammates – returns which saw him average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating 7.32 in Europe’s most prestigious club competition.

As such, when considering the sheer amount of talent Van de Beek quite clearly possesses, in addition to the fact that Bruno Lage’s side are extremely short of creative options in the middle of the park, should a deal for the Manchester United man indeed be on the table this winter, Shi simply must do all he can to land the Dutch dynamo.

In other news: Fosun must avoid Wolves disaster on “brutal” £71k-p/w sensation, Lage would be furious

Mitchell Johnson has endured some tiring days in the field over the past 18 months

Brydon Coverdale at Adelaide Oval07-Dec-2009Mitchell Johnson has endured some tiring days in the field over the past 18 months. As the emerging leader in a bowling unit lacking experience, he has been asked to shoulder a heavy workload. The rewards have been a series win in South Africa and the title of ICC Cricketer of the Year; the downsides have included losses to India, South Africa and England, and questions over the attack’s ability to regularly bowl sides out.In Cardiff, Australia couldn’t knock over England’s tail and allowed the hosts to escape with a draw that helped define the series. In Perth, the bowlers failed to keep South Africa from chasing a near-world-record 414 and the visitors went on to win the series. In India, the attack toiled hard but couldn’t take 20 wickets in a Test until Nagpur, and even then Australia still lost the match. Johnson was a key part of the attack in all those games.Australia hoped their bowlers would have enough in the tank for a home series against the eighth-ranked West Indies and they did at the Gabba, where they were led by Ben Hilfenhaus. But on a fourth-day Adelaide pitch when Australia had hoped to be batting before stumps, West Indies applied themselves to reach 8 for 284. To make matters worse, the touring coach David Williams said his players had always believed Australia’s new-look bowling group could “be taken apart”.”From the very start we said that their attack is not very experienced,” Williams said. “We played poorly in Brisbane and their bowling was very, very good. In this game here we have showed a lot more application and commitment and the attack to me is one that can still be taken apart. It was evident today, apart from when the ball was swinging around a bit.”The perseverance of West Indies’ batsmen meant an exhausting day for Australia’s bowlers. Johnson sent down 17 overs in the three sessions and picked up 4 for 85, and after stumps he was physically and mentally drained. “I’m not feeling the freshest now but like I said … umm … I’ve just lost what I was going to say, sorry,” Johnson said. “It’s been a long day.”Part of the problem for Australia was that in addition to Hilfenhaus sitting out the game with a knee injury, Peter Siddle was only able to bowl eight overs due to hamstring tightness. Siddle stayed on the field but was used sparingly and the effective loss of one of the strike bowlers left Johnson and Doug Bollinger, as well as the spinners Nathan Hauritz and Marcus North, with plenty to do.”Sidds is an aggressive type of bowler and occasionally you saw that there might have been one or two that skidded through or kept low, but definitely when you have a bowler like that not being able to bowl it … puts an extra bit more work on the other bowlers,” Johnson said. “In the end we used two spinners so that worked as well.”The only problem was that neither of the slow bowlers, who operated in tandem for part of the day and sent down 41 overs between them, picked up a wicket. It was a stark contrast from the results achieved by the left-arm orthodox Sulieman Benn, who grabbed five wickets in Australia’s first innings.”They’re different style of bowlers,” Johnson said. “Benn’s a tall guy and gets a bit more bounce maybe than Hauritz and North. We bowled pretty good in patches and we had two spinners bowling at one stage and going pretty well. I think we did a fairly good job.”Only time will tell whether eight wickets on the fourth day will be enough for Australia. If not, they’ll be desperately hoping Hilfenhaus’ knee has improved in time for the third Test in Perth next week.

Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) opening batsman, Azhar Ali, feels he is “due a chance” to open for Pakistan

Cricinfo staff11-Oct-2009Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) opening batsman, Azhar Ali, feels he is “due a chance” to open for Pakistan, after scoring a century on the first day against PIA at the National Stadium in Karachi. Azhar scored 108 as KRL ended day one of the Quaid-e-Azam tournament on 262 for 3, with captain Mohammad Wasim unbeaten on 84.”It’s a busy schedule for Pakistan in the coming months and I pray the selectors give me an opportunity to show what I can do,” Ali told . “I’m targeting one of the opening spots and I hope that I can keep doing well for KRL and keep catching the eye of the selectors””Representatives of the selection committee were present today at the National stadium and they saw me score a chanceless century on a wicket that certainly was not easy especially in the first couple of hours. Although the wicket eased in the afternoon and final sessions, it was not the easiest wicket to bat on and I hope the selectors were impressed with what they saw.”Ali had joined KRL as a legspinner who battled in the lower order and gradually climbed up the order. He was a part of the A teams Pakistan sent to Sri Lanka and Australia earlier this year. “It certainly helped that I was selected for the A tours of Sri Lanka and Australia and came up against a number of current and former internationals in varied conditions,” he said. “That experience really boosted my confidence.”My plan when I go out to bat is to play within my limitations, keep things simple, bat according to my strengths and not to try anything that I am not comfortable with.” Ali said that his captain Wasim was someone he looked up to and frequently turned to for advice on how to improve his game.

Tottenham Hotspur remain interested in signing Franck Kessie, according to emerging reports…

What’s the word?

Italian transfer expert Rudy Galetti revealed to Calciomercato.it (via Sport Witness) that new Spurs boss Antonio Conte is keen to land the AC Milan midfielder, who is out of contract at the end of the current campaign.

“He’s one of Conte’s requests, but I don’t know if Tottenham’s offer will satisfy Kessie, also because there are some important commissions involved,” he said.

“However, now I would say that on Kessie the highest percentage is for Tottenham.”

Other reports in Italy suggest that it is unlikely the Ivory Coast international renews his deal at the San Siro, so it’s down to sporting director Fabio Paratici and co to convince him to swap Milan for north London.

Get it done

If the 52-year-old head coach wants to sign Kessie, then it’s on the Spurs hierarchy to make it happen and if they can complete a move, then it should leave the Lilywhites faithful absolutely thrilled.

The 24-year-old powerhouse may have to rival the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and promising gem Oliver Skipp for a place in the starting XI but he’s certainly a player that would help improve the side.

He ended the 2020/21 campaign as AC Milan’s second-highest goalscorer on 13 goals, with only Zlatan Ibrahimovic scoring more (15). Meanwhile, Kessie has continued that form into this season, where he ranks as Stefano Pioli’s sixth-best player (6.98 rating).

“[Kessie] is an extraordinary player,” once claimed his former manager Vincenzo Montella, also suggesting that he had “sublime intelligence,” whilst the midfielder has also been dubbed “devastating” by ex-striker Antonio Cassano.

Indeed, the 6-foot beast has averaged at least 1.5 tackles, 1.5 dribbles and 1.2 interceptions per 90 across the past 18 months, as per WhoScored.

Kessie is a player that should leave many around N17 excited and Galetti’s belief that Spurs are leading the race should only increase that even more.

AND in other news, Spurs could sign Conte’s next Lukaku in “complete” £45m-rated “machine”…

Ryan ten Doeschate produced a destructive 59-ball 108 and Mark Pettini played a captain’s innings of 85 from 94 deliveries to put Essex back in the top flight for the first time since 2003

Andrew McGlashan at Derby26-Sep-2009
ScorecardWith five overs left of the Championship season, Essex secured last-ditch promotion to Division One with a five-wicket victory against Derbyshire having been left a hefty, but still generous, target of 359 in 65 overs. Ryan ten Doeschate produced a destructive 59-ball 108 and Mark Pettini played a captain’s innings of 85 from 94 deliveries to put Essex back in the top flight for the first time since 2003 at the expense of Northamptonshire.However, when James Foster fell to a top-edged sweep they still needed 156 from 22 overs. Up stepped ten Doeschate and provided the injection that Essex were looking for, while Pettini remained calm throughout to play his most important innings of the season. ten Doeschate reached fifty from 35 balls and then increased his tempo further, taking 16 off an over from Graham Wagg including consecutive pulled sixes and took further sixes off Wayne Madsen and Steffan Jones.ten Doeschate has made his name with clean-striking displays both for Essex and Netherlands, but this will go down as one of his most crucial innings. “It’s certainly right up there,” he said. He reached a memorable century with a flat-batted cover drive from his 57th ball – the second fifty taking just 22 deliveries – and his team-mates cheered loudly from the dressing room. His eighth six put Essex two away from their target. Promotion was then sealed when Pettini chipped a single down the ground to spark celebrations. The feeling will be very different at Wantage Road.There will be despondency for Northamptonshire, who did all they could with an innings-and-196-run victory against Leicestershire. Eyebrows will be raised at Derbyshire’s declaration, especially as there was no reason to be as generous as they had nothing to play for and knew that Essex would have to chase whatever they were set. There were a few angry Northamptonshire followers contacting local radio stations to protest that Derbyshire had given Essex the chance of overtaking them.Pettini and Alastair Cook sent down 13 overs of gentle bowling to hasten Derbyshire towards the target although they cost a relatively modest 78 runs as the home side weren’t overly aggressive. Then, 15 minutes before lunch, the declaration surprisingly arrived. If Chris Rogers’ desire was to have a good game of cricket then that is to be applauded, but he shouldn’t expect a particularly warm reception when Northamptonshire visit the County Ground next season.After a brief period of attack with the new ball, all Derbyshire’s slips disappeared and it turned into a one-day game as Essex milked the spinners. At the start of the chase they needed 5.52 and always had it under control. The top three provided a solid base with Tom Westley again impressing before cutting to backward point and John Maunders making 55. With 20 overs remaining they needed 138 – easy in the Twenty20 era.That target was whittled down increasingly quickly by ten Doeschate. Essex have become the master of the final-day chase, having secured vital wins against Middlesex and, last week, against Northamptonshire before this successful pursuit. Northamptonshire will look back ruefully on that game at Chelmsford when their second innings fell apart.The debate has started again about the merits of two divisions, but the fact that promotion wasn’t decided until the final session of the season ensured the interest (although, that is a relative term) was maintained. Division Two, without the fear of relegation hanging over teams and only promotion to aim for, has produced the more attacking play this season which is one reason why some would like a return to the original format.It does seem slightly incongruous that there is prize money for the top four sides in Division One, and then the 10th and 11th best teams in the country. But having more games that matter at the tail-end of the summer is worthwhile and the answer could lie in abolishing bonus points to make winning more vital. However, those debates can carry on over the winter and into next summer. For now Essex can reflect on a job well done, while Northamptonshire consider what might have been.

Manchester United’s problems appear to be mounting by the second at this moment in time as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s tenure seems destined for an unsavoury ending.

The Norwegian tactician has come under intense pressure in recent weeks as United have continued to put in underwhelming performances, and Sunday’s humiliating 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Liverpool may have served as his final warning.

However, if Solskjaer manages to turn things around at Old Trafford, then there could be a bright future ahead for the 20-time English champions.

Although major doubts remain over the 48-year-old’s ability to guide the 20-time English champions to major silverware, there’s no questioning his eye for a talented youngster and willingness to reward him with an opportunity in the first team.

And 20-year-old full-back Ethan Laird could be the next academy graduate to benefit from the Scandinavian’s bravery if he remains in the United hot seat.

The youngster rose through the ranks at his boyhood club before experiencing senior football for the first time last season, joining MK Dons on a short-term loan spell back in January.

Laird impressed throughout his 24 League One appearances for the Dons, providing four assists and catching the eye of captain Dean Lewington.

Lewington spoke to MK Citizen about Laird, saying: “It’s a different dynamic on the right. It’s a bit more direct with Ethan, using his raw pace. I’m still getting used to playing with him, but it’s working pretty well.

“He just needed a bit of encouragement and the freedom to express himself. I try and do as much of his defensive duties as I can to help him express himself.

“He’s really improved since he first came here, he’s come on leaps and bounds. It’s just a shame we won’t get to keep him,” the experienced campaigner concluded.

And Laird has carried his solid form over into the Championship this season after joining Swansea City for the entirety of the 2021/22 campaign.

As per SofaScore, the former England Under-19 international has already created four big chances for his teammates, averaged 1.4 key passes per game, 2.2 successful dribbles and 1.7 tackles, highlighting his effective displays in south Wales.

United’s desire for a more attack-minded upgrade on Aaron Wan-Bissaka was an open secret over the summer, with Atletico Madrid’s Kieran Trippier their no.1 target.

A deal couldn’t be reached between the two clubs, though, and with Trippier now 31 years old, Solskjaer may turn his attention to a young prodigy already within United’s ranks over the coming months.

And, in other news, Report reveals concerning update over “quality” Man Utd maestro, fans may be worried…

Andrew Miller at Lord's21-Jun-2009A Pakistan with momentum is a beast that cannot be contained. England discovered that fact to their cost in 1992 at Melbourne, when Imran Khan’s cornered tigers sprung at their throats to seize the country’s first major global title. And now, a generation later but in a campaign of distinct and glorious parallels, Sri Lanka have also sampled the unstoppable alchemy that occurs when cricket’s most emotional and temperamental participants find a way to meld their ambitions to their deeds.It doesn’t always end up this way. Two years ago against India, in the inaugural World Twenty20 final in Johannesburg, Pakistan blew their chance for glory when Misbah-ul-Haq choked on his emotions at the end of a stunning match-turning counterattack, and chose the wrong ball to flick over fine leg. And then, of course, there was Pakistan’s last appearance in the 50-over World Cup final, against Australia right here at Lord’s in 1999, when the conviction in the performance and the margin in the result – eight wickets – exactly mirrored today’s effect and upshot.In fact, it is a decade and a day since Pakistan’s demolition at the hands of Australia, and only two players remain from that match. Abdul Razzaq bowled two overs that day for 13, having limped to 17 from 51 balls while batting at No. 3; Shahid Afridi flogged two fours in 16 balls, and wasn’t called upon to put his legspin into practice. Ten years and a thousand memories later, Razzaq and Afridi rose to the needs of the hour and turned themselves into the game’s critical performers. Like the identities of the teams in this poignant final, it was a detail that can only have been scripted by the fates.”Me, Shahid and Razzaq, we were chatting with the guys: ‘Please this time we will hold our nerves and make our final touch’,” said Younis, who added how surprised he had been by the maturity of Afridi’s batting. “He took singles,” he said in admiration of a man who added calculation to his aggression, and paced the chase to perfection. Two lusty swipes into the stands thrilled a packed Lord’s, but not half as much as the scruffy leg-bye with which the title was sealed. Rare is the Pakistan team that puts substance over style, but when it occurs, the overall effect is electrifying.As for Razzaq, he had his own reasons to impress – his omission from the last World Twenty20 in South Africa was the catalyst for his defection to the ICL, which in turn led to his two-year exile from international cricket. He cut through the red tape last month, but only returned as a replacement for the injured Yasir Arafat last week. Nevertheless, he slipped effortlessly into his time-honoured utility role, this time as an under-rated old hand to balance the youthful aggression of Wasim Akram’s acolyte, Mohammad Aamer. After nine deliveries of the final, old and young had claimed a pair of ducks between them. And those lead weights of expectation had been alchemised into gold.

Both the captain and his Man of the Match hail from the troubled North West Frontier Province, and Afridi himself from the Khyber Agency, the symbolic frontline of Pakistan’s War on Terror. Chaos can seem at times to be embedded in the Pakistani DNA, but as both men showed in their performances in this tournament, it does not have to be this way

Younis has now stepped aside from Twenty20 cricket, much as Imran Khan bowed out on a high in 1992. For all his quiet insistence that this competition lacks the prestige of the 50-over World Cup, he knows that he and his players have achieved something wonderful, and every bit as lasting as the memories forged by Imran, Miandad, Wasim and Mushtaq, way back in the mists of time.”I’m the second Khan winning a World Cup for Pakistan, so I’m very proud of my Khans,” said Younis. “This is my dream. I dreamed all the time of lifting the World Cup. My thinking in all my career is that I will be remembered for a team like 1992. I was not in the Imran Khan team, and this is a dream come true. I’m really happy. Though this World Cup is Twenty20, at least we won our second World Cup. This is a gift to our whole nation.”He is not wrong. To get a sense of how much Pakistan needed this victory, you have to look beyond the bedlam in the stands at Lord’s where a shimmer of bouncing green shirts gave a surface-level glimpse of the euphoria, and instead burrow deep into the parks and gullies of Karachi, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Peshawar, where a nation starved of joy has been given the timeliest succour. It is arguable, in fact, that there has been no more timely sporting victory since a newly unified South Africa won the Rugby World Cup back in 1995.Where Francois Pienaar’s Springboks drew a newly unified nation ever more tightly together, the achievement of Younis’s men has been to help slow the fragmentation of a state that is rapidly being considered by the world at large to have failed. Both the captain and his Man of the Match hail from the troubled North West Frontier Province, and Afridi himself from the Khyber Agency, the symbolic frontline of Pakistan’s War on Terror. Chaos can seem at times to be embedded in the Pakistani DNA, but as both men showed in their performances in this tournament, it does not have to be this way.”If you see the whole nation, where law and order is not good, we are from them,” said Younis. “How can we be consistent? With these kind of things going for us, if you see our cricket it is all the time suffering from a lot of things. After that we are still winning the World Cup. It is a great achievement for us. I am requesting to all of the countries you must come to Pakistan. Everybody knows law and order is not good but it is not our fault.”For the moment, any prospect of cricket resuming in Pakistan is futile, despite the joy of this occasion and the hope for the future that it generates. But in the shorter term, what we witnessed at Lord’s today was the will of a troubled nation to pull in the same direction. From the fight within the team to the reaction around the stands, it was clear how much the notion of Pakistan still means. Next summer, the prospect exists of England hosting their “home” Test series against Australia. Today was a taster of the euphoria that would bring. It must be allowed to happen.