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Things are heating up in Division One of the Norwich Union League after Yorkshire Phoenix beat Durham Dynamos by 28 runs in the day/night clash at Headingley.

Farid Bakri05-Aug-2002Things are heating up in Division One of the Norwich Union League after Yorkshire Phoenix beat Durham Dynamos by 28 runs in the day/night clash at Headingley.Having won the toss the home side elected to bat, but lost Matthew Wood (5) and Chris Silverwood (1) with only 30 on the board. Vic Craven (59) and Gary Fellows (50) overcame this setback to play masterfully and solidly, giving Phoenix the platform they needed to secure their third victory in as many days. The former produced a fireworks display with five well-timed fours and two beautifully struck sixes, whilst Fellows’ running between the wickets was energetic as their side reached 222. Neil Killeen took three for 42 and Paul Collingwood three for 29 in an untidy bowling display which conceded 19 wides.The visitors got off to a shambolic start in reply. Silverwood (three for 15) made amends for his early dismissal with three crisp wickets to help reduce the visitors to 19 for four. He trapped Michael Gough lbw for four, and had Danny Law caught by Wood for a duck before bowling England man Paul Collingwood for three. Tim Bresnan bagged the other wicket when he sent Nicky Peng back to the pavilion before he could make a start.Gary Pratt (84) and Andrew Pratt (59) then put on 88 for the sixth wicket as they tried to restore order. The older Pratt continued to work hard for his runs, finding the boundary only five times, but in the end his efforts were in vain as Fellows’ precision bowling undid the Durham tail-end. Yorkshire climb into third place after their latest win, and go level with Warwickshire with a game in hand.The Division Two encounter between Sussex Sharks and Gloucestershire Gladiators survived ten balls before persistent rain forced the match to be abandoned. Both sides get two points each and Sussex remain at the bottom of the table.

West Bromwich Albion are set to reconsider their original decision of allowing Rekeem Harper to leave The Hawthorns this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Express & Star, who claim that 21-year-old’s proposed transfer to Ipswich Town has been put on hold until the club’s impending appointment of Valerien Ismael is completed.

It is reported that, despite agreeing terms with the League One side, as well as the midfielder having undergone a medical with the Suffolk club, the Baggies could end up cancelling the move if the potentially incoming Frenchman is not prepared to let the former England under-19 international leave this summer.

Harper must not leave

While it would have been an odd move on the part of Guochuan Lai and Xu Ke to allow such a promising player to leave the club while the duo had still not appointed a manager, it would very much appear that the West Brom hierarchy have now made a sensible call on the matter.

While the £2.25m-rated midfielder has not exactly been a regular in Albion’s first team in recent seasons, under the guidance of Ismael, Harper could well turn out to be a key player for the Championship club next season.

In his breakthrough season at the club back in 2018/19, he featured in 16 Championship games for the Baggies, scoring one goal, providing one assist and creating one big chance for his teammates, with these metrics seeing him earn a seasonal SofaScore rating of 6.60.

The following summer, the 21-year-old was linked with a number of high-profile clubs, including the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham, although the £8,000-per-week man eventually went on to sign a new three-year deal to keep him in West Bromwich until the summer of 2022.

However, having made just 10 Championship appearances in 2019/20 and two Premier League appearances in 2020/21, it is understandable why the player whom Slaven Bilic claimed has “no limits” in the game may want to leave the club this summer.

However, with a manager potentially taking over at The Hawthorns who is known to favour a younger side, the West Brom outcast could finally be linking up with a coach who can help him fulfil his undoubted potential. That leads us to believe that Ismael must right Ke’s wrong of sanctioning Harper’s departure this summer, and instead integrate him into the Baggies’ first team next season.

In other news: Nixon drops latest West Brom managerial development which should have fans buzzing

After playing a sparkling innings of 93 off just 91 balls against the West Indies at the SSC Ground in Colombo, the Kenyan skipper Steve Tikolo talked to the media

Santhosh S17-Sep-2002After playing a sparkling innings of 93 off just 91 balls against the West Indies at the SSC Ground in Colombo, the Kenyan skipper Steve Tikolo talked to the media.He regretted that his side couldn’t pull off a win against the West Indies: “We started off well, and restricted them in the first 25 overs and then gave away easy runs. Obviously that is the area we would like to improve upon.”When asked about Kenya’s claims when it came to earning a Test status, Tikolo said, “Test status is not far away from us. I know we have the players with ability to play at the highest level. It is in the ICC’s hands to make the decision.”Tikolo went on to observe that even in the current situation Kenya must be given the opportunity to play a lot more games. “If we play at the highest level more often, I think our team will improve,” the Kenyan skipper said.Between now and World Cup 2003, Kenya are to play just five one-day internationals against Zimbabwe. They would also be visiting India and playing against some of the state teams before going on a tour of Namibia.His side’s poor fielding – they dropped at least five easy chances in the morning – did not go unmentioned at the press-conference. When asked about it, Tikolo gave a straight-forward reply: “Those chances at this level has to be taken. We will go back to the drawing board and work on our fielding.”Joseph Angara, the man who bowled a dream spell to Sachin Tendulkar during India’s tour of South Africa, was surprisingly not pressed into service during the West Indian innings. When asked to explain why one of his side’s main seamers had suffered this fate, Tikolo said that he made the decision because his spinners did a good job on the day.The first question that Tikolo’s counterpart Carl Hooper faced was about the state of Brian Lara’s health. The premier West Indies batsman, who had scored a hundred in his team’s innings, had to be taken to the hospital in the afternoon. “If he has been admitted, it must be serious enough,” Hooper observed.The West Indies skipper admitted that Lara was feeling a bit weak when he was in the middle. The champion left-hander, though, managed to hang around to make a match-winning 111.”It was important for him (Lara) to try and stay there as long as he could,” Hooper said, adding, “I am happy that he came through for us today.”The fact that West Indies have struggled to score runs quickly at the top of the order was not lost upon the skipper. “We missed out on opportunity in both the games where we could have been pushing the 300-run mark. It is obviously an area we are going to have a look at,” he observed.Hooper also took the opportunity to praise his opponents, saying, “It would be stupid to underestimate the Kenyan side. They are obviously getting better.”The West Indies skipper said that he was looking forward to the upcoming series’ against India and Bangladesh. The West Indies have decided to stay back in Sri Lanka for a couple of weeks and prepare for these battles.”First week will be on physical fitness and conditioning and then the second week will be on tactical stuff. We are trying to arrange for a three-day game against Sri Lanka A,” he explained.

Newcastle United are reportedly eyeing up a move to sign Piero Hincapie in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Newcastle after centre-back

The St. James’ Park faithful are clearly after a new central defender for the new 2021/22 season, having been linked to the likes of William Saliba from Arsenal and Kristoffer Ajer from Celtic.

The North east club conceded no fewer than 62 goals in the Premier League last term, and will certainly need to improve on that defensive record if they have any ambitions of climbing up the table.

The Latest: Hincapie eyed

As per Diario de Sevilla, the Tyneside club, as well as Atletico Madrid and Real Betis, are interested in signing Hincapie, who currently plays in the Argentinian top flight with CA Talleres.

He has a contract there until 2025, but Hincapie may well be persuaded by a move to a top league in Europe, and likewise Talleres may be willing to sell if a good offer comes in for him.

The Verdict: One for the future

Given that the likes of Atletico Madrid, recent La Liga winners and an established UEFA Champions League side, are interested in Hincapie, he clearly has a lot of potential.

He has been playing men’s football since 2019, despite being just 19 years of age (Transfermarkt), and at six-foot tall, may still have room to grow.

Currently starring in the Copa America with Ecuador, Hincapie is winning no fewer than 8.7 of his duels per game in the tournament, and is also averaging 2.3 tackles, 1.7 clearances and 1.3 interceptions, not to mention 1.7 successful dribbles per match (Sofascore), which is very impressive for a central defender.

Nonetheless, the Magpies would do well to prize him away out of the hands of the likes of Atletico.

In other news, find out what enticing claim has been made on one NUFC-linked manager here!

Match Report: John Ward from Zimbabwe on Pak v Zim A

John Ward06-Nov-2002November rain in Zimbabwe tends to be short and sharp, but Jupiter Pluviusobviously decided he could do something better for the Pakistani tourists.He started his vandalism in the early hours of the morning, and continued topour down his produce at a greater or lesser intensity throughout the day.Long before the official announcement was made, it was clear play would beimpossible at Country Club on the third and final day of the match betweenZimbabwe A and the Pakistanis.No result was possible even on first innings, as only 13 wickets fell.The leading Pakistani batsmen all enjoyed good innings, though, except for theunfortunate Yousuf Youhana, and their bowlers had a reasonable workout.For Zimbabwe A, Guy Whittall must have ensured his return to the Test team witha fine unbeaten 67, but perhaps none of the young hopefuls in the team wereable in two days to give irresistible evidence to the selectors of theirclaims.The rain looks to be well set in, but in November it rarely lasts more thantwo or three days at the most. Both teams will be hoping that JupiterPluvius does not again intend to depart too far from his usual policy.

BRISBANE – Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist has been hospitalisedwith an infected elbow just three days before the opening Ashes cricketTest at the Gabba.

Steve Connolly04-Nov-2002BRISBANE – Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist has been hospitalisedwith an infected elbow just three days before the opening Ashes cricketTest at the Gabba.Gilchrist was today hooked up to an intravenous antibiotic drip and willremain in St Andrew’s Hospital in Brisbane until tomorrow.Australian team physiotherapist Errol Alcott said the treatment wasprecautionary and Gilchrist was still expected to be fit for the firstTest against England starting on Thursday.”It’s a hot swollen, very tender elbow and it hurts a little bit to moveit,” Alcott said as the Australians trained at the Gabba.”So we figure rather than being down here and landing on it andaggravating it and exciting the inflammation we’ll put him on bed restand some antibiotic treatment.”We’re confident he’ll be back on deck shortly, we’re planning to leavehim overnight and review him tomorrow around mid-morning and see how wego from there.”Alcott said at this stage no replacement had been called for.Gilchrist noticed tenderness around his right elbow on Saturday and thearea become more troublesome yesterday when he joined teammates inBrisbane.”It’s frustrating not being able to train straight away and interruptthe build up to the Test match but I’m working on the basis this is afrustration and nothing more,” he said.”I’m keen to get back on deck as soon as possible and my expectation atthis stage is that I will be fully fit and ready to play in the Testmatch come Thursday morning.”Australia now has two injury problems leading into the Test with pacebowler Jason Gillespie battling a calf strain.Gillespie trained lightly in the nets today and will have an extendedworkout tomorrow.Alcott said Gillespie had felt “a bit stiff” from his 10 overs for SouthAustralia in Saturday’s ING Cup match against NSW in Adelaide.”Tomorrow we’ll have a good session and we’ll review him then,” saidAlcott, who rated Gillespie’s chances of playing as “pretty good”.Gillespie’s inclusion would leave selectors a difficult choice betweenBrett Lee and Andy Bichel to be 12th man for the first Test.Former Australian fast bowler Merv Hughes believes Lee should retain hisTest spot because English batsmen are scared of the paceman.”If you have a look at Brett Lee at the Gabba, when he comes in to bowlthe crowd just lifts and if you watch the English batsmen they just seema little bit more nervous,” said Hughes.”He’s there for the fear factor.”Australia’s other matter to sort out this week is some changes tofielding positions.Mark Waugh’s retirement from international cricket means a new secondslip will have to be found with Ricky Ponting or Damien Martyn favouredfor the job.Australia may also be looking for another candidate to field at shortleg with Justin Langer reportedly wanting a change due to medical adviceafter five blows to the head in the past 12 months.”Hopefully my prowess in the gully could perhaps have me overlooked forthat position,” said Langer’s close friend and opening partner MatthewHayden.”I guess the versatility shows that most of the side can field anywherethough.”Late today it looked as if Darren Lehmann, recalled to the Test side toreplace Mark Waugh, could be asked to take over from Langer in thebat-pad catching position

Celtic are now interested in signing Hibernian striker Kevin Nisbet, according to The Daily Mail’s Stephen McGowan.

The Lowdown: Nisbet’s impressive campaign

Nisbet enjoyed a successful 2020/21 season at Easter Road. The 24-year-old scored 18 times and registered eight assists in all competitions, with two of his goals coming against the Hoops.

His displays were rewarded with a place in Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad for the European Championships.

Nisbet, who Jack Ross described as ‘terrific’ last year, featured in just 21 minutes of action at Euro 2020 and currently holds a Transfermarkt valuation of £2.7m.

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The Latest: Nisbet links

According to McGowan, Celtic have now set their sights on Nisbet after announcing a deal for defender Osaze Urhoghide from Sheffield Wednesday on Thursday.

Work has already begun to see how much a potential transfer would cost, with Hibs thought to be holding out for more than £4m.

The Verdict: Wyke or Nisbet?

Another striker who has been heavily linked with a Celtic Park switch in recent weeks is Charlie Wyke.

Wyke, who is now out of contract with former employers Sunderland, wanted Celtic to double his wages on a four-year deal with a multi-million pound signing-on fee.

A move for Wyke has gone quiet in recent days, and perhaps Nisbet would be a smarter option.

He’s four years youngster than Wyke and has experience of scoring goals in the Scottish Premiership.

Nisbet is on £1,000-a-week at Hibs, compared to Wyke’s recent £6,400-a-week salary with Sunderland.

Yes, Celtic would have to pay a fee for Nisbet and not Wyke, but it could prove to be a wise move, should they decide to do so.

In other news: Martin O’Neill interested in Celtic return, find out more here. 

Sri Lanka’s weakness against quality pace bowling overseas was exposed forthe second time in three days on Sunday as South Africa won the openingCastle Lager/MTN Test match at Wanderers by a massive innings an 64 runs

Charlie Austin10-Nov-2002Sri Lanka’s weakness against quality pace bowling overseas was exposed forthe second time in three days on Sunday as South Africa won the openingCastle Lager/MTN Test match at Wanderers by a massive innings an 64 runs.Sri Lanka coach Dav Whatmore had claimed his side were better prepared thanat any time in his three year second tenure prior to this game, but thatthat did not translate into performance as the visitors were bowled out for130 in just 41 overs.South Africa dominated all three days of the Test, outplaying SanathJayasuriya’s chastened side in every department. With the second Test to beplayed at Centurion on Friday, a venue that is also expected to assist fastbowlers, Sri Lanka look set to lose the series.The tourists started the morning brightly enough, needing just 2.4overs to wrap up the South African first innings for 386, but the top ordercapitulated against the new ball, losing four wickets before the luncheoninterval.Opener Russel Arnold started the innings disastrously, completing a pairwhen he was caught at second slip after wafting loosely at Makhaya Ntini’sfirst ball – a woeful dismissal that will reopen the debate as to whetherthe 28-year-old left-hander has the technique to open in Test cricket.Number three batsman Kumar Sangakkara (7) was unfortunate to see a fine legglance spectacularly clasped one-handed by an airborne Mark Boucher. MahelaJayawardene (1) fended off a devilish delivery from Shaun Pollock into thehands of short leg.Jayasuriya, still struggling to come to terms with his new middle orderrole, was the second man to be dismissed for a duck when he dragged aPollock delivery onto his leg stump, leaving Sri Lanka in desperate troubleon 25 for four.Vice-captain Marvan Atapattu (43) and Hashan Tillakaratne (27) resisted fora while, easing Sri Lanka past their lowest Test total of 71 during a 52 runpartnership for the fifth wicket, but Steve Elworthy then made furtherinroads soon after the break: Atapattu edging a catch into the slips andHasantha Fernando falling lbw to complete a miserable pair on debut.Chaminda Vaas held up the South Africans for 37 minutes with an entertaining32 from 30 balls, hitting three fours, before pulling a short delivery fromthe lively Makhaya Ntini straight into the hands of Kirsten at mid-wicket.Next over, Andrew Hall had Tillakaratne caught at extra cover with hiswarm-up delivery and then floored Muttiah Muralitharan with a painful blowto the groin. The off-spinner’s agony was ended two balls later when he wasclean bowled.Hall sealed victory, South Africa’s fourth consecutive win when he clean bowled Ruchira Perera, finishing with three wickets for just one run.Earlier in the day, Muralitharan became the fourth highest wicket-taker inTest history when he trapped Hall lbw with the fifth ball of the day, movingpast Richard Hadlee’s 431 Test tally. He finished with 433 wickets when hetrapped Elworthy in similar fashion in his following over.Jacques Kallis extended his run without being dismissed to 909 minutes, arun that stretches back eight months to South Africa’s third Test againstAustralia in March, before gloving a catch behind without adding to hisovernight 75.

An update has emerged on Leicester winger Rachid Ghezzal, regarding Besiktas’ pursuit of the forward.

What’s the talk?

According to Turkish outlet Fanatik, Besiktas are in talks with Leicester over a permanent deal for Rachid Ghezzal and are attempting to haggle down his price tag. The winger spent the 2020/21 campaign on loan to the Turkish giants and is now being lined up for a second spell with the club after impressing in the Super Lig.

The report claims that Leicester want a fee in the region of £5.1m (€6m) for Ghezzal and Besiktas are trying to land him for less. Besiktas are also working hard to reduce his £3m-per-season (€3.5m) wage demands to line up with their finances.

Fans would be fuming

Leicester fans will be gutted if Jon Rudkin ends up sanctioning a sale for Ghezzal for less than £5.1m. If he allows Besiktas to haggle down a fee of £3m or £4m, for example, it could represent a terrible piece of business by the club off the back of an excellent season from the winger in Turkey. Fans would be angry at the Foxes for not being able to profit off his performances by garnering more money for his services, not less.

The 28-year-old was directly involved in 25 goals in 30 starts for Besiktas in the league, with eight goals and 17 assists from out wide. This shows that he was able to find his form and Turkey and consistently produce quality at the top end of the pitch, with a sensational average WhoScored rating of 7.65, which is what he was seemingly expected to do in the Midlands.

Upon his arrival in England, Ghezzal was hailed an exciting signing for the club by former Leicester boss Claude Puel. The Frenchman said that he would add creativity to the ranks following his move from Ligue 1 side Monaco on a four-year contract.

He told Leicester’s official website:

“I’m very pleased to welcome Rachid to Leicester City Football Club. He’s an exciting addition to our group who will bring creativity and competition ahead of an important season for us.”

Therefore, Leicester should be trying to maximise their profit from his impressive form and cash in on the wing wizard whilst they can.

Rudkin must avoid making a grave error by lowering his demands and accepting any low-ball offers from Besiktas. Fans will not want to see the club getting fleeced by another side for one of their players, especially given how well he performed for the European side last season.

AND in other news, Rudkin must axe “excellent” Leicester £77k-p/w maestro, Rodgers doesn’t need him…

MELBOURNE, Dec 17 AAP – Shane Warne today said he would do everything he could to recover in time for next year’s cricket World Cup.

AAP17-Dec-2002MELBOURNE, Dec 17 AAP – Shane Warne today said he would do everything he could to recover in time for next year’s cricket World Cup.Warne today made his first appearance since yesterday’s surgery on his dislocated shoulder.He said he was still groggy and grumpy after his operation and disappointed at his latest setback.”All I know is I’m going to give it my best shot to try and get it right as quick as I can,” he said.”Hopefully that’ll give me enough time for the World Cup. If it’s not then so be it.”I’m pretty disappointed at the moment, things were going really well.”Over the last few years I’ve struggled to get back to full fitness. I’ve been on a fitness campaign the last 12 months and been as fit as I’ve ever been, and bowling probably better than I ever have.”After all the injuries that I’ve had, the shoulder, the finger, it’s pretty disappointing to have what happened to me the other night.”But I think I’ve shown a fair bit of courage … and that’s something I’ll have to face now.”Warne said he had had little time to think about his career since dislocating his shoulder against England on Sunday night.”I’ve been asleep for the last 24 hours so I’ve barely had a chance to think about anything just yet,” he said.Warne said he was in a lot of pain when he injured his shoulder and could feel the bone sticking out.He said his only thoughts were about getting off the ground and have the shoulder popped back into place.He said he felt yesterday’s surgery had gone well.But he was aware of the need to recover fully rather than rush back.”If I come back too soon and I am not 100 per cent, that won’t do anyone any good,” he said.Warne said he would be guided by specialist Greg Hoy and team physiotherapist Errol Alcott about when was the best time to return