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While Thursday’s game was washed out because of heavy rain, today’s was restricted to 40 overs-a-side and Netherlands chased down their revised total of 174 with 23 balls to spare

Cricinfo staff08-Aug-2008
Scorecard
Eric Szwarczynski’s half-century took Netherlands to a comfortable six-wicket win over Bermuda in the second and final ODI at Amstelveen. While Thursday’s game was washed out because of heavy rain, today’s was restricted to 40 overs-a-side and Netherlands chased down their revised total of 174 with 23 balls to spare.Netherlands were cruising along at 54 for 1 when opener Tom de Grooth retired hurt for 16. In came Szwarczynski and added 82 with Ryan ten Doeschate, who had taken 3 for 35 in Bermuda’s innings. Szwarczynski took Netherlands to safety and fell only when five runs were required.Earlier Bermuda captain Irving Romaine had scored 46 off 47 balls and added 76 with Steve Outerbridge to take Bermuda to 165.Netherlands will next host Kenya at the same venue for an Intercontinental Cup match starting August 16, while Bermuda will head to Canada for the Associates tri-series.

If Ange Postecoglou thought he was going to have a simple ride at Celtic then he must think again.

The Australian coach has had an incredibly stressful start to life with the Hoops, having not been backed sufficiently in the transfer window.

The Bhoys are already no longer in the Champions League and tasted defeat in their opening league clash.

On the chalkboard

Celtic still have plenty of work to do in the transfer market before they can consider themselves genuine contenders for the Premiership title again.

They appear to be a mess at the back once more and after losing Kristoffer Ajer, it’s hardly surprising.

Carl Starfelt was thrown in at the deep end on his debut against Hearts without many minutes under his belt but even he looked shaky.

However, much of the blame in the early stages of the season has been cast towards Nir Bitton. He was inexplicably sent off against Midtjylland in the first leg of European qualification and was questionable at Tynecastle last weekend.

Bitton was hardly a reliable figure last season either and has already been described as a “walking joke” in Celtic circles this campaign.

The solution

One way Postecoglou can instantly axe Bitton from his plans is by signing another centre-half.

Stephen Welsh wasn’t favoured last Saturday and with Christopher Jullien still out injured, their options remain relatively unconvincing at the back.

The Hoops have been linked with a move for Lausanne defender Moritz Jenz and by assessing his performances, he’d be a massive upgrade on the Israeli.

Hailed as a “very dominant” player by The Celtic Analysis, their data showed him to be an extremely impressive centre-back.

The 22-year-old stands at 6 foot 3 and therefore, is a monster in aerial situations.

He ranks in the 88th percentile for aerial duels won while he’s even more impressive on the ground. When it comes to the challenge, Jenz is successful with 79% of his tackles. That puts the German in the 94th percentile for that attribute; a mighty fine statistic.

Jenz is composed in possession of the ball which means he’s close to being the perfect modern-day centre-half.

Bitton has shown recently that he’s a liability, especially when it comes to usurping his opponents. On the other hand, Jenz is assertive and confident; Postecoglou must bring him to Paradise this summer.

AND in other news, Celtic must swerve Buta deal to sign “superb” 19 y/o who’s “extremely dangerous”…

Daniel Vettori wants Brendon McCullum to bat at No. 5 to bolster an inexperienced top order in the upcoming Tests against Bangladesh

Cricinfo staff28-Sep-2008
His captain wants Brendon McCullum to bolster New Zealand’s inexperienced top order © Getty Images
New Zealand’s captain Daniel Vettori wants wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum to bat at No. 5 to bolster an inexperienced top order in the upcoming Tests against Bangladesh and Australia. McCullum, who was usually used at No. 7 or No. 8, was pushed up the order during the Tests against England earlier this year.”Without Brendon in there, all of the top six apart from Jamie How, have played fewer than 10 Tests. And Jamie’s only played a handful more,” Vettori told the . “We need Brendon there for his capability but also for his experience.”Brendon’s the sort of guy who’d like to bat as high up the order as possible. He’s probably not happy about languishing at No. 5. But it’s important he’s in the mix because we’ve got such an inexperienced top-order.” Vettori said the other benefits of McCullum at No. 5 were that it will ease the pressure on allrounder Jacob Oram and allow Daniel Flynn to settle in at No. 6.Vettori also suggested that Jesse Ryder, who had an impressive start to his international career before injuring himself in an incident at a Christchurch bar, was likely to make his Test debut. “I think there’s good reason to be optimistic when you think about a middle order that might include [Ross] Taylor, Ryder, Baz [McCullum] and [Jacob] Oram,” he said. “But it’s also important to have strength in the supporting areas, and especially at the top of the innings. It would be good if Jamie [How] and Aaron Redmond can make the most of their chances.”New Zealand leave for Bangladesh on Tuesday for two Tests and three one-day internationals.

Paul Sheldon, the Surrey chief executive, has confirmed for the first time that the club are interested in hosting Indian Premier League matches at The Oval

Cricinfo staff15-Oct-2008
The IPL could be coming to The Oval © Getty Images
Paul Sheldon, the Surrey chief executive, has confirmed for the first time that the club are interested in hosting Indian Premier League matches at The Oval.”It is true we have spoken to certain IPL franchises about staging games here,” Sheldon said. “If it was possible within the calendar and with the blessing of the ECB, we would certainly look at it.”Earlier this year Keith Bradshaw, the MCC chief executive, visited the tournament’s chairman, Lalit Modi, about the possibility of bringing IPL “exhibition” games to Lord’s. At the time, Sheldon was rumoured to have also shown interest for The Oval, though he denied any talks had been made.Now, however – thanks to the agent of Surrey’s offspinner, Saqlain Mushtaq, who revealed Surrey’s plans to PakPassion.net – Sheldon has confirmed that the IPL might one day be coming to England.”Looking forward to 2009, the domestic and international calendar is very tight – so it will probably be difficult to find time for it,” he said. “If it were possible we would be very keen to do it, but we would always work closely with the ECB.”

Arsenal are pursuing a move for James Maddison, according to reports…

What’s the word?

The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg and Fabrizio Romano claim that the Gunners are on the hunt to add creativity to Mikel Arteta’s squad and the Leicester City attacking midfielder has emerged as a key target.

Arsenal have already spent £73m this window and may have to offload some more players before being able to fund a move for the 24-year-old, who still has three years to run on his current £110k-per-week contract.

It’s thought that the Foxes will demand in the region of £60m for his signature, though Maddison himself is believed to be keen on a switch to the Emirates Stadium.

Better than Odegaard?

For now, Arsenal’s chances of sealing a return for Martin Odegaard seem slim after the Danish playmaker returned to parent club Real Madrid during the off-season.

Romano believes the North London giants “will be ready” if his situation changes as “Arteta loves the player”, although the club may want to fully turn their attention onto Maddison instead.

Despite being hampered by injuries throughout the 2020/21 season, the England international still emerged as one of Brendan Rodgers’ biggest outlets for goals.

As per Transfermarkt, Maddison provided 11 goals and ten assists across all competitions, which was more than every single Arsenal midfielder combined and the sorts of figures one might expect from an Aaron Ramsey or Mesut Ozil in their prime.

In the Premier League and Europa League alone, the 24-year-old midfielder averaged 1.7 key passes per game, which was 0.3 higher than Arteta’s two creative options, Odegaard and Emile Smith Rowe, via WhoScored.

It’s no wonder that the £49.5m-rated sensation has been described as a “special talent” by The Times’ Henry Winter and as “absolutely excellent” by ex-Leicester man Steve Howey during an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

On the above evidence, Maddison is clear of Odegaard, based on his relatively short time in the English top-flight, so Edu Gaspar must look to urge KSE to sanction a move for him before this month’s transfer deadline.

If Arteta is to get that creative midfielder, then it’s time to act now.

AND in other news, Edu could seal Aubameyang upgrade in Arsenal swoop for “spectacular” £72m-rated beast…

Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain would ‘definitely suit’ West Ham, Kevin Campbell has told Football Insider.

The lowdown

ExWHUEmployee revealed in July that West Ham were considering a possible loan move for Oxlade-Chamberlain.

According to The Athletic, the Hammers have expressed a particularly strong interest in Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard following his 2020/21 loan spell, but the player has told Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that he wants to stay and fight for his place at Old Trafford.

Oxlade-Chamberlain could be an alternative to the 28-year-old. The Liverpool man was limited to just two Premier League starts last season, making a further 11 substitute appearances (via WhoScored).

He has been dogged by injuries since his arrival at Anfield back in 2017, missing a total of 74 matches, while West Ham are already said to be in talks with the Reds over a move for his team-mate Divock Origi.

The latest

Campbell has urged West Ham to pursue the move and thinks that Oxlade-Chamberlain may well be surplus to requirements at Liverpool.

“He’s the type of player that would definitely suit West Ham,” the former Everton striker told Football Insider.

“I’m not saying he’s a goalscorer in the same vein as Jesse Lingard but his game is speed. That’s huge in his game and he’s not playing at Liverpool.

“When you don’t play, there is always that risk you get sold or are forced to move on. He’d be a huge signing for West Ham.”

The verdict

On the face of it, this would be similar to the Lingard deal – a loan move for an out-of-favour English attacker at a Champions League club. The hope would then be that Oxlade-Chamberlain regains his stride in similar fashion to the Manchester United ace.

The 27-year-old is an exceptionally versatile player, capable of playing in central midfield, attacking midfield and on either flank.

However, would Liverpool allow another midfielder to leave given that Georginio Wijnaldum’s departure has already thinned out their squad?

The other news, fans raved over this display in Sunday’s friendly.

Geoff Lawson, the Pakistan coach, has warned Australia against focusing too heavily on spin for the upcoming Test series against India

Cricinfo staff02-Oct-2008
Geoff Lawson does not expect Australia to be severely threatened by Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble © AFP
Geoff Lawson, the Pakistan coach, has warned Australia against focusing too heavily on spin for the upcoming Test series against India. Australia will face the vast experience of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh while their own spin stocks are down to one uncapped man, Jason Krejza, with the news that Bryce McGain could be sent home with a shoulder injury.But Lawson said he did not expect Kumble and Harbhajan to be major threats during the four-Test series. “We [Pakistan] played three Tests in India in November and the pitches did not spin,” Lawson told the . “Whether India make up spinning pitches I am not sure but the first Test venue in Bangalore is a bouncy pitch.”Kumble and Harbhajan were ineffective when we played them. They were not great in Sri Lanka either in a series after that. I wouldn’t be worried about how good their spinners are or how inexperienced our spinners are.”I don’t think they are going to be big factors. World batsmen have faced enough of Harbhajan and Kumble … unless the wickets are turning big-time, they should be able to handle them.”Pakistan dealt with Harbhajan with relative ease during last year’s Tests, when he collected ten wickets at 44.10. Kumble was the leading wicket-taker during that series but Lawson said as long as Australia did not talk themselves out of succeeding, they should do well against the slow men.”We played in Delhi last year and the word was that it was going to fall apart on the first day and spin big-time,” Lawson said. “But it just got harder and harder and we could have played for ten days on it. It did not turn at all. You can’t expect to go to the subcontinent and get slow turners.”

Southampton are rumoured to be keen on signing Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on loan, according to talkSPORT.

The 27-year-old was restricted to just 17 appearances in all competitions last term for the Reds in what was a frustrating campaign disrupted with injury problems. The midfielder has been troubled with various injury concerns in his time at Anfield, having signed for the Reds back in 2017 from Premier League rivals Arsenal.

He would be no stranger to his surroundings if he were to pursue a move to Southampton, having spent his youth career at St Mary’s before breaking into their first-team in 2010.

Southampton finished 15th in the Premier League last season under the management of Ralph Hasenhüttl, and they’re clearly keen to strengthen their midfield options before the summer transfer window reaches a conclusion.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp previously labelled Oxlade-Chamberlain as ‘outstanding’, and the 27-year-old will be hoping he can find regular game-time at Anfield during the 2021/22 campaign.

Plenty of Reds fans took to social media to react to Southampton’s rumoured interest in re-signing the England international this summer. Take a look at some of the reaction from Anfield Watch on Twitter, with some Kopites begging the club to avoid making the “stupid decision” of letting him go out on loan.

Liverpool fans don’t want Oxlade-Chamberlain loaned out

“Why are you willing to sell and yet we don’t see any effort of bringing in any new face like Saul, we are not sharp in scoring, that’s our problem by now.”

Credit: @nelsonnyonges11

“Can’t afford to let him go. Before his injury he was looking good. On his day can provide goals from midfield. Would only be able to replace him with a “home grown” player. Who?”

Credit: @MarkhHaigh

“I don’t think we are in a position to let any player leave, especially in that midfield.”

Credit: @Damzie07

“Makes 0 sense if we are meant to be using him as an alternative to Firmino.”

Credit: @ChloeWesthead1

“No, no, no and no !! Give him a chance this season, he has potential if he’s not injured. We believe in him! So underrated”

Credit: @Upcomers_

“No don’t do it @LFC let him stay. He’s a special talent and deserves to be given a fair chance, if he can stay free from injury.”

Credit: @QuintonCroukamp

“Stupid decision if it happens.”

Credit: @neilatkins2

“Keep him unless we sign someone.”

Credit: @danielpgst

In other news, many Liverpool fans were purring over this man’s display against Athletic Bilbao

Jacob Oram, the New Zealand allrounder, could be back in action soon after scans revealed no serious damage to his back

Cricinfo staff28-Oct-2008
Jacob Oram will be reassessed in a week’s time © AFP
Jacob Oram, the New Zealand allrounder, has no serious problems with his back and is expected to begin rehabilitation on Wednesday. Oram was forced to return home before the second Test against Bangladesh in Mirpur after experiencing pain during the first game.Oram visited Rob Campbell, the New Zealand Cricket doctor, in Christchurch and was cleared after undergoing an MRI scan. “It is reassuring to know that it is only a soft tissue injury,” Oram said. “I have had some major lower-back problems over my career and, while you are always hopeful that the latest problem is not a pointer to something more serious, you can never be certain. Back problems and fast bowling go hand in hand.”I will be reassessed in a week’s time by the medical staff and we should be able to get a better indicator then of when I am likely to get back to the bowling crease.”Oram has been plagued by injuries throughout his career. He was forced out of the Napier Test against England earlier this year and, in the return series, he pulled out of the Twenty20 international at Old Trafford after hurting himself during the warm-up. He was ruled out of the first three ODIs but returned for the last two matches.

Wasim Jaffer, along with Ajinkya Rahane, whipped Hyderabad into submission as Mumbai dominated the first day to assume complete control

The Bulletin by Nagraj Gollapudi in Mumbai02-Dec-2008
Scorecard
Wasim Jaffer scored his third double-century in the Ranji Trophy © AFP
Wasim Jaffer, along with Ajinkya Rahane, whipped Hyderabad into submission as Mumbai dominated the first day at the Bandra Kurla Complex. Hyderabad didn’t look capable of dismantling the Jaffer-Rahane combine, which put together a 328-run unbroken partnership for the second wicket. Jaffer’s decision to bat paid off spectacularly – he notched up a double-century and Rahane his third century of the season.Mumbai struggled in the previous game against Saurashtra but were up against a Hyderabad side deprived of their most experienced player, VVS Laxman, to a heel injury.Unfortunately for the bowlers, all predictions about the conditions supporting movement in the air fell flat as the mercury soared through the day; the heat and humidity caused Shoaib Ahmed, the Hyderabad seamer, to vomit due to dehydration. With little support from the conditions, none of the Hyderabad bowlers managed the control and consistency to threaten the batsmen and Jaffer and Rahane made merry.Jaffer was initially circumspect but realised the importance of his presence after the early fall of Vinayak Mane, playing his first Ranji game in two years. Mane had surprisingly replaced Sahil Kukreja, who scored a double-century against Delhi. Mane’s rustiness showed, he looked tentative and was opened up by a delivery that seamed away.That was Hyderabad’s lone success; Jaffer and Rahane made them toil for the rest of day. By lunch both had reached their half-centuries with ease. The break only increased Jaffer’s appetite for runs. A flurry of boundaries followed soon: a late cut was dispatched off Abdul Quadri in the second over after lunch. In the next over, against the left-arm spinner Lalith Mohan, Jaffer turned his wrists at the last minute for another four past midwicket. Though Mohan was successful in beating Jaffer’s bat, on 61, the Mumbai captain remained unfazed. His confidence, as he lofted Mohan over long-on for the first six of the game, was apparent.Stats highlightsThis was Jaffer’s sixth first-class double-century and his third in Ranji TrophyThe unbroken 328-run partnership for the second wicket between Wasim Jaffer and Ajinkya Rahane for Mumbai beat the previous best of 291, which Gulam Parker and Guru Gupte achieved against Tamil Nadu at Chepauk in 1981. This is the second time the Jaffer-Rahane combine has added more than 200 for Mumbai this season – the first instance was against Gujarat, in the second round, where they piled 218.Jaffer finally had a tense moment on 95, miscuing an attempted pull: the resultant top edge, however, fell in no-man’s land, well in front of the man charging in from fine leg. Jaffer soon picked an easy single to bring up his second hundred of the season, the first coming against Gujarat in the second round. He then turned it up a notch, and such was Jaffer’s command of the situation that he scored exactly 100 between lunch and tea. By the end of the day he had his third Ranji double-hundred.Rahane, though a bystander for most of the second session, did not let his captain’s strokeplay distract him. He is used to watching Jaffer treat bowlers with disdain both for Mumbai and Indian Oil Corporation, the team the pair represent in the city’s corporate league. He proved again he could pace an innings with controlled aggression and, though in only his second first-class season, showed none of that inexperience in matching Jaffer’s aggression. His charge against Mohan to deposit the ball over long-on for six was one such example.As well as the conditions the slowness in the pitch and low bounce helped the batsmen. With the ball coming on nicely at comfortable pace both Jaffer and Rahane had enough time to execute their shots at will.Arjun Yadav, the Hyderabad captain, failed to attack, though to be fair he didn’t get the support from his bowlers and fielders. Hyderabad are still mostly a developing squad – with a bunch of seniors shifting to the ICL – but their sloppy fielding didn’t help stop Mumbai dominating.