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Celtic correspondent Kieran Devlin has provided an update on striker Giorgos Giakoumakis following his absence against Hibernian on Sunday.

The Lowdown: Easter Road blank

The Hoops made a number of changes against Bodo/Glimt last week, seemingly prioritising the league fixture at Easter Road on Sunday.

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Giakoumakis started in Norway but was missing from the squad against Hibs, with Daizen Maeda leading the line.

Unfortunately, Celtic couldn’t find a breakthrough against Shaun Maloney’s side and had to settle for a 0-0 draw. There was good news, though, with Rangers failing to take advantage of the Hoops’ slip up, drawing with Motherwell just hours later to ensure the gap at the top of the Premiership stayed at three points.

The Latest: Devlin’s update

Devlin ran a Q&A on The Athletic on Sunday and answered a question regarding Giakoumakis.

He relayed comments from Ange Postecoglou who said the striker was ‘ill’ and hopes to have the 27-year-old back against St Mirren on Wednesday.

“He’s ill, Postecoglou hopes he’s back for Wednesday.”

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

Giakoumakis was the hero in Celtic’s last league win against Dundee, scoring a hat-trick at Parkhead.

He was labelled as ‘hugely important’ by Postecoglou following that display, so it would be good news if he can return to the squad tomorrow evening.

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Postecoglou is already without Kyogo Furuhashi and Albian Ajeti due to injury, leaving Maeda and youngster Johnny Kenny as the only options without Giakoumakis. Fingers crossed he will shake off his illness and pick up from where he left off at Celtic Park.

In other news: Devlin now reveals Celtic ‘definitely want’ to sign ‘incredible’ £22k-p/w international. 

The Cobras earned their first victory of the season after defending 163 against the Warriors. The franchise have lost three out of five first-class matches and their first two T20 matches as they continue to battle player concerns over the capability of coach Paul Adams. But Adam could smile for a change after Wayne Parnell, Kieron Pollard and George Linde took the team to victory.Parnell was coming back from a rib injury sustained during South Africa’s ODI series against Australia. He opened the batting with Richard Levi, who departed early, and scored 61 off 51 balls. He lacked support until joined by Pollard, whose 50 off 27 balls earned him the batsman of the match award. The pair scored 78 off 50 balls at a rate of almost 10 an over to ensure the Cobras compiled a competitive total.In reply, the Warriors were in early trouble at 58 for 5. Left-arm spinners Linde and Rory Kleinveldt did the damage but Colin Ackermann resisted. His 60 off 41 balls was one of only four scores in double figures in the innings and the only one of more than 22. The Warriors sit mid-table with one loss and one win so far.David Miller’s career-best T20 score was not enough for the Knights to beat the Titans in a last-ball thriller that was decided by a no-ball. The Titans’ victory keep them at the top of the table, eight points clear of their nearest challenger.At 10 for 2, the Knights ceded the early control as veteran allrounder Albie Morkel struck. Miller and Pite van Biljon shared 91 for the third wicket, with van Biljon only a minor contributor. His 28 off 31 balls offered only companionship for Miller, who stood man alone in building the total. Miller’s century came off 56 balls and his eventual strike rate was a shave under 200. He was particularly harsh on Junior Dala, whose four overs cost 57 runs.The Titans stayed on course in the chase, with all their batsmen chipping in. Heinrich Klaasen’s 50 off 27 balls started them off well before Farhaan Behardien and David Wiese kept them in the hunt.They were dismissed off successive balls – Wiese off the last of the penultimate over and Behardien the first of the final over – to leave the Knights needing five runs off the last five balls. Shadley van Schalkwyk was bowling and he gave away only two runs off the next three balls before a bye was conceded, leaving the Titans with two to get off the final ball. That’s when van Schalkwyk overstepped and the Titans took a single to win the game.

The ICC has said that there are no plans to extend the number of Associate members who will gain ODI status.On a visit to Uganda, Cassim Suliman, the CEO of the African Cricket Association, was reported as saying that he would push for more countries to be added to the six Associates that currently have one-day status.”I will try to see that within 180 days, three more countries get one day international status,” Suliman said. “You [Uganda] have good facilities, development programmes and administration. I see no reason why we do not have more countries out there.””I’m currently working on ensuring that Uganda, Namibia and Kenya gain full ODI status in the next 18 months.”But an ICC spokesman told Cricinfo: “There is no intention at this stage to increase the number of teams playing ODIs. However, the six Associates currently enjoying ODI status may not be the same ones doing so after the 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier [formerly the ICC Trophy] in 18 months’ time. Conceivably, Uganda could be playing ODIs after that, provided they qualify for the next ICC World Cup.”Uganda – along with Namibia, Argentina and Denmark – have been added to the ICC High Performance Program, making a total of ten teams. However, only six of those teams play ODIs and that is not about to change.”

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Phil Jaques ensured his name would remain in the Australia selectors’ minds with 75 from 57 balls as New South Wales scored an easy win over Tasmania in their Ford Ranger Cup match at Bellerive Oval. The Blues reached their target of 167 with seven wickets in hand and 93 balls to spare, after the Tigers were dismissed for 166 from 41 overs.Jaques let fly right from the start, hitting 10 fours and two sixes – both of which went out of the ground and on to the practice pitches – to set up the crushing win that gave New South Wales a bonus point. It was his first half-century in the FR Cup this season but runs have not been eluding Jaques, who scored two centuries against England in tour matches in the space of a week.He scored freely in all directions until he got a thick edge to the diving Xavier Doherty at third man when he attempted to hit Brett Geeves over mid-on. Michael Clarke failed to make the most of his chance to play a lengthy innings and was caught at mid-on for 28 from 50 deliveries but Brad Haddin guided the Blues home with 42 not out.Tasmania captain Dan Marsh elected to bat after morning rain reduced the match to 43 overs per side. Wickets fell at regular intervals for the Tigers, with Michael Bevan’s 39 the highlight of a disappointing innings. Nathan Hauritz was the pick of the New South Wales bowlers, finishing with 3 for 25 from his eight overs, but all of the Blues’ fast men claimed wickets as well.The New South Wales captain Simon Katich said Jaques’ performance was no surprise. “Whatever form of the game he’s playing in he’s going to get runs,” said Katich. “Whether it’s club cricket, state cricket or when he gets the chance for Australia.”The Blues, who came into the match with one win from three games, now sit in third place on the table and Tasmania are fourth. “We knew it was a big game but we’ve got a big month coming up and we can really go up the ladder if we keep playing like this.”

South Africa will be looking to extend their superb winning streak © Getty Images

Graeme Smith, the South African captain, has said that his team is ready to take on a resurgent India in the five-match one-day series beginning in Hyderabad on November 16.”We have come here on a good run and see this tour as a massive opportunity,” Smith told AFP after arriving in Mumbai. “India are a strong side with a bunch of young guys who are doing well. Sachin Tendulkar is also back in their side but I hope we continue to win.” South Africa have had an awesome run of form, blanking New Zealand 4-0 in the recent one-day series and winning 16 of their last 18 games with two matches washed out. India, too, have thrashed Sri Lanka 6-1 in the just completed one-day series.Mickey Arthur, the South Africa coach, said that they weren’t too worried about countering Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Indian wicketkeeper who was named Man of the Series for his 346 runs in seven matches against Sri Lanka. “We have studied his technique well and have some plans for him. We only have to wait and see how well we are able to execute them,” said Arthur. “The key to India’s fortune is the return to form of Sachin Tendulkar as he can really lift the team. Rahul Dravid and Greg Chappell are doing a good job and we respect the Indian batting line-up in home conditions but we also back ourselves to win in India.”South Africa’s tour begins with a warm-up game on November 14 at Hyderabad followed by the first ODI on November 16. The remaining four matches are all day-night fixtures at Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai on November 19, 22, 25 and 28.

Ponting was one of Vettori’s victims in Melbourne© Getty Images

Australia will be especially wary of Daniel Vettori after his left-arm spin wrecked their chances of posting a huge total in the opening game of the Chappell-Hadlee one-day series. New Zealand went on to win that match after Vettori had induced a mid-innings wobble with three wickets in next to no time.Speaking on the eve of the second game at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Australian captain Ricky Ponting was quick to identity the main threat to his side. “He’s a quality bowler in both forms of the game and he certainly bowled beautifully the other night – he’s bowled well right through this tour so far,” said Ponting. “He varies his pace well and he turns the ball just enough – that SCG wicket will suit him so it’s up to us to make sure we don’t give him our wickets.”If we can get through his 10 overs without being too aggressive and without giving him too many wickets we should score freely off the other guys.”Australia will leave their selection to the last minute, with one eye on the weather forecasts predicting rain. “Bowling spin with a wet ball is very difficult so if it does rain Hoggy [Brad Hogg] may miss out,” said Ponting.He also expected New Zealand to have a punt on Chris Harris, whose dibbly-dobbly medium pace and cutters might have an impact on the slow SCG pitch. “Harris may come in on that wicket,” he said. “He’s a great fielder and a handy lower order batsman as well but I’m not sure where he’ll fit into their side, I think the side they had the other night was pretty well balanced.”

The disappearance of five members of an Indian women’s cricket team, currently on a tour of England, may have been pre-arranged by their families, according to the team coach, Ravi Sharma.The women, who are on three-week visas, went missing from their accommodation in Hounslow eight days ago and have failed to re-establish contact. “This is a bitter experience for me,” Mr Sharma, 52, told London’s Evening Standard. “I have been ringing the players’ families in India to tell them that I’ve had to contact the police and they have asked me not to get the authorities involved.””They started shouting at me. I believe the parents were involved and this is all part of an organised scheme for the players to stay in Britain for good. I think they are all part of this plan which we had no idea about until the girls vanished.”Police have confirmed the names of those missing as Mandeep Virk, 19, Baljeet Kaur, 22, Parvesh Rani, 25, Ekta Andotra, 21, and Rajwant Kaur, 24. It is believed the players may have been in contact with a “middle man” in England who arranged for them to sneak out of their rented accommodation last week.The team captain, Renu Margreate, pleaded with the missing girls to make their whereabouts known. “We are very, very worried for you,” she said. “You are spoiling it for the rest of us; you are going to ruin our futures if you don’t come back.””The five girls that are missing were particularly passionate about England,” added their team-mate, Rashemi Sharma. “But we had absolutely no idea they had planned anything. They simply walked out of the house last week saying they were going to stay at another house nearby. We only realised afterwards that they had thrown their bags out of the windows.””I’ve never had trouble like this with players before,” confirmed Mr Sharma. “We are deeply distraught. The girls now think their futures in cricket are ruined. The five who have gone have wrecked it for all of us. Now it all makes sense when I think about how they used to talk with very strong feelings about coming to play cricket in England. Now I realise it was not just cricket they were interested in.”

The ECB National Academy XI finished on 374-4 from 103 overs at the end of the first day’s play in their four-day game against their Australian equivalents, the Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy, in Adelaide.Kent’s Robert Key (177) and Middlesex’s Andy Strauss (113) both madecenturies after the ECB National Academy had lost the toss and been put into bat at the Henley Oval. Warwickshire’s Ian Bell (49*) and Hampshire’s Derek Kenway (13*) were the not out batsmen at stumps.The ECB National Academy is funded by Sport England and sponsored byVodafone.

Will Michael Hussey occupy Justin Langer’s spot? © Getty Images

Allan Border believes Australia should overlook Phil Jaques and Chris Rogers for the first Test against Sri Lanka and promote Michael Hussey to open with Matthew Hayden. Border, a former national selector, said Hussey and Stuart MacGill should be given the first chance to replace Justin Langer and Shane Warne.”There’s an opportunity to open with Hussey, freeing up a middle-order spot for [Andrew] Symonds or [Michael] Clarke or [Brad] Hodge,” Border told the . “It gives a better balance to the side rather than having a new opener and one of those middle-order guys missing out.”Most of Hussey’s Tests have been at No. 4 or 5, but he loves opening and has spent most of his first-class career at the top of the order. However, Border said Jaques, who made 152, 82 and 136 for Australia A on the tour of Pakistan, and Rogers would come into the calculations. “Jaques and Rogers have got the numbers on the board,” he said, “and deserve to be talked about.”Border also warned Shane Watson and Hodge, who have expressed their interest in the opening role, not to expect success immediately if they bat at the top. “It’s one thing to say ‘I might try and open’ [but] it’s not as simple as that – there’s technique, temperament, a lot of different facets.”Coming off at 5pm after a hard day in the field, everyone puts their feet up and you see these blokes strapping up their pads for the ugly half hour – that’s a tough gig. Someone like Watson will have to almost serve an apprenticeship. They might go gangbusters straight away but it’s amazing against the new ball, you can get caught out pretty quick.”After the spin coach Terry Jenner dismissed Brad Hogg’s Test chances, Border agreed he preferred Stuart MacGill as Australia’s No. 1. “Hogg is an option but Stuey should be given the nod first up, he deserves it,” he said. “He’s a proven wicket taker, I think he likes the big stage.”If Border was still a selector he would seriously consider a fast bowling unit of Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Mitchell Johnson and Shaun Tait for the first Test against Sri Lanka at the Gabba from November 8. “The way I’d be thinking would be the pace barrage,” he said in the Courier-Mail. “I would be tempted to unleash Tait and Johnson with Lee and Clark. You wouldn’t fancy facing that lot.”

ECB chief executive David Collier has accused the Australians of diverting attention away from their own domestic issues after New South Wales premier Morris Iemma asked the British authorities for information on “known sporting hooligans” before the Ashes.”The Barmy Army don’t have a history of causing problems abroad,” he said. “There will always be a minority element we have got to be careful of. But the probability of large numbers of football hooligans travelling, when tickets have not been easy to get hold of, is at the lower end.”There is a little bit of deflection going on,” he added. “Clearly, the policies the ICC had to bring in were largely as a result of crowd issues in Australia, mainly Victoria, not New South Wales.”Collier also expressed alarm that so many tickets appeared to have ended up on the black market. “The problem you have to be cognisant of is that where tickets are in huge demand you will get touts or people flogging the tickets. Then it becomes less controllable as to who comes into the venue.”The Australian board is aware that spectator behaviour will be under the spotlight after last season when both the South Africans and Sri Lankans complained about abuse.