As reported by The Telegraph, Celtic target Joe Allen is set to sign a contract at Stoke City despite their relegation from the English Premier League.

What’s the story?

The Mirror reported at the end of last month that Brendan Rodgers was showing interest in bringing the player to the Scottish Premiership, with his future at Stoke in doubt.

However, it appears he is willing to pledge himself to the promotion fight under new Stoke boss Gary Rowett.

That’s according to The Telegraph, who say that the club are determined to keep him by ensuring that a relegation pay-cut clause in his current deal doesn’t put him off staying around.

The paper say a new contract is set to be signed when the player returns from his close-season holiday.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”252976″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch 21 things that will definitely happen at the World Cup”]

What are the Hoops missing out on?

Despite reports noting Rodgers’ interest in his former player, the prospect of Celtic signing Allen was always slim, but it’s interesting to think about what a player of his standard would bring to the Hoops.

It’s clear that Rodgers’ side have more than enough about them to dominate Scottish football but aside from one or two select results last season, have been shown to be far off the pace when it comes to European football.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

A player like Allen could have addressed that deficit, possessing the technical ability and having the experience to help out their midfield massively against that step up in competition.

The Welshman may be off the table, but can Celtic bring in that kind of quality in midfield and defence this summer to complement what is an excellent attack?

It seemed like it was only a matter of time before Liverpool were going to announce the arrival of new signing Nabil Fekir from Lyon.

However, the transfer collapsed, causing the Ligue 1 outfit to release a statement confirming that their midfielder will be staying put.

It is fair to say that Liverpool fans were devastated by the turn of events, and now attention has turned to who could be the plan B option.

There are plenty of decent attacking midfielders across Europe, but there is one man who plenty of Liverpool fans would rather the club did not target.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”252976″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch 21 things that will definitely happen at the World Cup”]

Julian Draxler, who is valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, has often been linked to the Premier League, but at the moment, he plies his trade at Paris Saint-Germain.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Last season, the 24-year-old made 47 appearances in all competitions for the French outfit, scoring four goals and creating 10 assists.

It is unclear whether the midfielder will move on this summer, but one thing is for sure, most Liverpool fans would prefer not to see him at Anfield.

Newcastle fans have been discussing a move for Swansea’s Roque Mesa, but fans would much prefer to stick with what they have.

Various reports have linked Newcastle’s Mikel Merino with a move back to Spain, and last week the Magpies were linked with a move for Swansea’s Mesa as a replacement.

Rafael Benitez is obviously fond of the idea of having a gifted Spanish technician in his midfield, but Merino’s first season on Tyneside did not go to plan.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255847″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Newcastle’s opening fixtures for the 201819 Premier League season”]

The former Borussia Dortmund youngster struggled with a back injury for most of the season, and has been linked with moves to Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad.

The 21 year-old is very talented though, and it seems a shame to give up on him after just one season in the Premier League.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

The youngster is bigger and more powerful than the more experienced Mesa, and the overwhelming majority of fans think it would be a big mistake to dump Merino for the relegated Swansea man.

You can find the full poll results down below…

Stoke City are set to appoint St Johnstone assistant manager Callum Davidson as Gary Rowett’s no.2, according to The Stoke Sentinel.

The new Stoke boss is yet to formally announce his backroom team but it appears that his former Leicester City team-mate will reunite with Rowett in the Britannia dugout.

The Sentinel are also reporting that Rory Delap and Kevin Phillips will take up coaching roles for the Potters.

It appears that Rowett’s usual assistant, Kevin Summerfield, who worked under the new Stoke boss when he managed previously at Burton Albion, Birmingham City and Derby County, will not join him in his new venture.

Is this the best World Cup ever? Give us your thoughts here and win any World Cup shirt of your choice. 

Davidson, a former Scotland international, started and ended his playing career at St Johnstone, sandwiching a spell in England where he played for Blackburn Rovers, Leicester City and Preston North End.

Kevin Phillips made a name for himself as a lethal striker for nearly 20 years in England and remains the only English player to have won the European Golden Shoe.

Phillips was previously working with Rowett at Derby, as was Rory Delap who was something of a legend for Stoke City and was famed for his characteristic long throw-ins.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Stoke fans have been reacting on social media to the new appointments and these are some of the best.

The Pakistan captain has said the bowler-friendly pitches in the early part of the summer in New Zealand will be one of the biggest challenges for his team

Cricinfo staff15-Nov-2009Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf has said the bowler-friendly pitches in the early part of the summer in New Zealand will be one of the biggest challenges for his team during the three Tests, starting November 24. Pakistan set foot in the country having just finished the one-day and Twenty20 leg of the series in in the heat of UAE.”The fact is we are going to New Zealand when the season has not started there properly and the weather will also be cold,” Yousuf told . “I think we are going to encounter seaming wickets and batting on them will be a big challenge for us.”The coach Intikhab Alam concurred with Yousuf and hoped his players will be able to adjust to the conditions. Looking at the composition of the Test squad, Intikhab said the bowlers were capable of taking 20 wickets but the batting needed a bit of attention. A series of batting collapses were primarily responsible for their 2-0 defeat in Sri Lanka in August.”Our batting must click and show improvement because it will be tough to switch from one-day and Twenty20,” Intikhab said. “Our bowling has the capacity to bowl New Zealand out twice but we must put runs on the board first.”He expected Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand captain, to be the biggest threat, especially if the pitches suit spin. Vettori has been the team’s best all-round player in the recent past and has shouldered plenty of responsibility in all departments.”Vettori is a seasoned player and we have to play him well, without giving him too many wickets,” Intikhab said. “But if New Zealand prepares wickets conducive to spin then we too have quality spinners in Saeed Ajmal and Danish Kaneria.”Pakistan were hit by the sudden withdrawal of Younis Khan, who quit the captaincy and opted out of the tour because he wanted a break from the game. Intikhab and Yousuf agreed that Younis’ absence will be felt, despite his run of poor form.”Naturally, Younis is a senior batsman and although he has been in poor batting form, he is a world-class player who can come good any time, but you miss players through injuries as well and Younis’ replacement will have a chance to prove his worth, ” Alam said.The tour begins with a three-day game in Queenstown on Wednesday before the first Test in Dunedin.

Asim Butt, the Scotland left-arm seamer, has died in his sleep aged 42 in Lahore.

Cricinfo staff01-Dec-2009Asim Butt, the Scotland left-arm seamer, has died in his sleep aged 42 in Lahore.He played five ODIs for Scotland in the 1999 World Cup, performing strongly against Australia, the eventual winners, taking 1 for 21 from 10 overs.Butt was born in Pakistan in 1967 and played first-class cricket for Lahore before settling in Scotland in the 1990s. He soon won his first Scottish cap, against Yorkshire at Boghall in May 1998, taking 3 for 42 in the Benson & Hedges Cup, on his way to 106 wickets for Scotland at an average of 24.86.He played in all of Scotland’s World Cup games and remained a consistent performer, taking 6 for 42 in the first innings against MCC at Lord’s in August 2000 and 5 for 47 in the second innings against Ireland four years later.He won the last of his 71 caps in the National League game against Somerset in May 2005.

Peter Siddle is confident the mental scars inflicted on Pakistan after their shattering loss in Sydney will give Australia a distinct advantage for the final Test in Hobart

Brydon Coverdale08-Jan-2010Peter Siddle is confident the mental scars inflicted on Pakistan after their shattering loss in Sydney will give Australia a distinct advantage for the final Test in Hobart. Australia are searching for a 3-0 series victory, which would give them their most wins in a home summer since the 2006-07 Ashes clean-sweep.On the fourth morning at the SCG they looked almost certain to lose, until Siddle and Michael Hussey staged a tail-end fightback and Pakistan crumbled 36 runs short of their small target. Siddle said he had no doubt the incredible turnaround would affect the thinking of the Pakistan players when the third Test begins next Thursday.”Coming from a stage where they were in the first innings 200 runs in front, it’s a big lead and obviously it’s a good opportunity for them to beat a side like Australia,” Siddle said in Melbourne on Friday. “For us to fight back and put a lot of pressure on them, with bat at the end there and obviously with the ball, the way Hauritz and Mitchell Johnson especially attacked them … it’s definitely going to hurt them and definitely going to play on their minds a lot coming in to Hobart.”In the wash-up from Sydney, the PCB expressed its “utmost concern” over the team’s effort and rushed the wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed to Hobart to take the gloves from Kamran Akmal. His performance at the SCG was poor; he dropped four catches and missed a run-out and his spilled opportunities were instrumental in allowing Australia back in the game.Although Pakistan’s slipshod fielding and defensive tactics on the fourth morning contributed to their defeat, their batsmen have also come under fire for falling to overly aggressive shots in their chase of 176. Siddle said the Australian bowlers knew opportunities would come against Pakistan due to their attacking approach.”They’ve done well in the short form of the game with the way they’ve played their cricket,” he said. “I think that’s their downfall in Test cricket, they play a bit aggressively and do come at you. At times it does pay off for them. Umar Akmal has come at us a few times and scored quickly and scored well, so it is something that does help them but is a massive weakness for them as well.”While Pakistan must improve in Hobart, Siddle himself is also keen to lift his output. He has struggled for impact with the ball this summer and has taken six wickets in four Tests at an average of 68.33, which looks especially stark compared to the record of his peers.In the same period, Mitchell Johnson has collected 28 wickets, Doug Bollinger has 24, Nathan Hauritz has 23 and Shane Watson has taken 11. The ongoing absence of Ben Hilfenhaus due to a knee problem has given Siddle some breathing space but he said he did not feel any added pressure in order to keep his place whenever Hilfenhaus returns.”If I keep worrying about the wickets, that’s when they definitely won’t come,” Siddle said. “It’s coming out well. I’m confident that it will turn around. I’ve just got to keep going out there and doing the right things from my end and hopefully in the next game or so it can be my turn to take that bag.”At least he’s in good touch with the bat. Siddle’s three-and-a-half-hour innings of 38 in Sydney was a major factor in Australia’s comeback as he and Hussey put on 123 for the ninth wicket. He said he always enjoyed his batting and relished the chance to spend so long at the crease.”It was good fun the other day, being out there with Mike, just with what we could do and how we could help win that Test match was very pleasing,” he said. “I probably get more nervous going out there to bowl when I should be getting nervous to bat. I enjoy going out there and having a hit around and to get the opportunity to spend that much time out in the middle and to have a lot of fun at the same time, it was a great time.”

Reflecting on his team’s sensational collapse on the fourth day, the Bangladesh captain believes that his side paid the price for relaxing during the Mohammad Ashraful-Shahadat Hossain partnership

Sriram Veera in Mirpur27-Jan-2010It was a stunningly candid revelation by Shakib Al Hasan in the press conference. “When Shahadat [Hossain] and [Mohammad] Ashraful were batting we may have got slightly relaxed. They had made batting look easy. We were laughing and chatting in the dressing room and somewhere, at some point, we relaxed and we were not thinking about the game as much as we should have done.” If only the perceptive awareness that this quick post-mortem analysis reveals, had kicked in earlier.Even Zaheer Khan, the wrecker-in-chief, was surprised by the implosion. “It was surprising. Looking at the conditions, it felt they could have fought that phase and made things tough for us.” But it was a strange day. In a Dhaka minute, everything changed.When Shahadat and Ashraful were batting, one smelt fight in the air, felt their sense of purpose, thought about India missing two batsmen, and caught a brief glimpse of the possibility of a memorable fightback. There was not a single moment to relax. Bangladesh did and they lost the match. It wasn’t a surprise that they lost but one was taken aback by how quickly it all happened. And yet, the pleasant sun-lit morning had promised so much.Even India, it seemed, were on the back foot initially. The fielding was getting ragged, overthrows happened, a catch was dropped, the fielders were pushed back, MS Dhoni was forced to make a few bowling changes and the pitch, as it seemingly does in these times, appeared to get flatter. “The pitch got slower and lower”, Zaheer Khan said later. “There was nothing major for spinners and it was the fast bowlers’ responsibility to put their hands up.”Initially, even Zaheer was unable to make a breakthrough. Shahadat and Ashraful had added 50 runs in 13 overs and it wasn’t just the quantity of runs but the manner in which it came that raised the hopes of a lead and a fascinating end-game. What caught the eye was of course Shahadat’s brazen approach, but it was Ashraful’s attitude that gave hope. He wasn’t intent on self-destruction, he wasn’t living on the edge and he wasn’t struggling. In fact he looked almost calm and pushed the ball into gaps and lived off deflections. It was the closest he got to serenity in this series.It’s at this time the players in the dressing room must have relaxed. One can understand why it happened, but it is something that the captain Shakib and coach Jamie Siddons should sort out. The rest of us will shrug it off saying, “That’s Bangladesh cricket for you”.Shahadat had to fall at some point; he had done his job and even Ashraful fell to a good ball – Pragyan Ojha got one to turn and jump to force a hurried prod. It is at this point that everything started to go wrong. Shakib walked in and clouted his first ball over long-on. There was nothing wrong in that as Shakib explained later, “It was there to be hit”. Perhaps it was. However, he soon fell to a fatal shot, trying to create something out of nothing. It was the beginning of the end.Shakib is a busy batsman and likes to play his shots but perhaps this time he got too ahead of himself. His critics will ask if the shot was on, given that there was a man at short-leg. Maybe, the ongoing controversy involving the alleged rebuke from the BCB president, got to him and he felt the urge to make a statement on the field. Perhaps, it was just a brain-freeze resulting from over confidence. Or perhaps it was simply a case of a wrong execution of a shot that he plays so often and has done so well in the past. Who can tell?Shakib tried to answer: “When I got in to bat, my plan was to just bat. The first ball was there to be hit. The sweep shot that I got out to… I just mistimed it.”Was it just an answer for the press or the truth, we wouldn’t know, but it doesn’t reveal much about his state of mind at that juncture. His statement about how team had relaxed offers a better pointer, perhaps.Zaheer sensed an opening when Shakib fell and hit them hard. It was too much for Bangladesh and they were knocked out.Tomorrow’s local papers are going to be filled with passionate anger over the collapse. Shakib must have been stunned by the reaction at the press meet. As soon as he finished his “relaxed” statement, he was staring at several pupils dilated in anger. And angry questions. He seemed to be taken aback by the intensity. It was a sad way to end the series for Shakib, who has been dignity personified through out. He did not react emotionally to Virender Sehwag’s statements, he stood up for his team when he perceived that the BCB president was making unreasonable allegations, he did not wash dirty linen in public and supported his team-mates. In the end he must have felt very alone out there.

A round-up of the action from the fifth day of matches in the 2009-10 Vijay Hazare Trophy

Cricinfo staff14-Feb-2010

West Zone

With Rajasthan Royals opting to do without Ravindra Jadeja’s services for the third season of the IPL, the allrounder decided to bring out his best for Saurashtra as they thrashed Baroda by seven wickets at the Sardar Patel Stadium B Ground. Baroda were gritty in their approach, after being put in, and managed to reach 105 for 4 in the 30th over. But Jadeja, along with Jayesh Odedra, had other plans as they ran through the rest of the batting line-up. While Jadeja picked up four wickets with his left-arm spin, Odedra partnered well with 3 for 18, as Baroda were shot out in 40.2 overs. Captain Jaydev Shah’s dismissal during the reply gave Baroda some hope, only for Chirag Pathak (47) and Cheteshwar Pujara’s second-wicket stand of 53 to snuff it out soon. Pujara brought up his fifty, including seven fours and two sixes, and remained unbeaten with Jadeja to complete formalities by the 32nd over. Saurashtra are the only unbeaten team in the West Zone and will no doubt look to extend their supremacy when they play Gujarat on Tuesday.A classy century from captain Wasim Jaffer laid the foundation for Ranji champions Mumbai‘s crushing win against Maharashtra at the Sardar Patel Stadium C Ground. Maharashtra wilted in the 40th over in reply to Mumbai’s imposing 308, with Ramesh Powar and Avishkar Salvi sharing the majority of the spoils. Choosing to bat, Mumbai were given a strong start by opener Sushant Marathe (53), before Jaffer and Rohit Sharma (96) took centrestage. The 172 run-stand for the third wicket had them in pole position early on. Sharma hit five fours and six sixes during his 78-ball stay, while Jaffer smashed eight boundaries during his 128-ball 109. Twin fifties from Sangram Atitkar and Kedar Jadhav were not enough as Maharashtra failed to cope with Powar (4 for 44) and Salvi (3 for 21) during the reply. The negative point they earned added more sorrow to another disappointing campaign.

East Zone

A fascinating high-scorer at the Ravenshaw College Ground went Bengal‘s way as they beat Assam by seven wickets in a match that witnessed over 600 runs being scored. Bengal’s choice to field first looked to have backfired as Assam openers Dheeraj Jadhav and Parvez Aziz took the score to 176 in the 32nd over. Though Aziz departed for 83, Jadhav continued the charge, finishing unbeaten on 148 off 150 balls, comprising 15 fours. Ashok Dinda’s 3 for 57 in the late overs kept Assam to just below 300. It was once again Shreevats Goswami who was the star for Bengal as they maintained a terrific pace during the chase. Goswami hit a breezy 133 off 114 balls, smashing 18 fours and three sixes, and figured in two key partnerships with Sourav Ganguly (64), who returned for this fixture, and Abhishek Jhunjhunwala (83 not out). The fast rate of scoring worked well in Bengal’s favour as Jhunjhunwala and Wriddhiman Saha completed the victory with more than seven overs to go.Middle-order masterclasses were on display as Orissa edged out Jharkhand by 11 runs at the Barabati Stadium. Put in by Jharkhand, the hosts were struggling at 68 for 5, thanks to Varun Aaron’s early strikes, before wicketkeeper-captain Haladhar Das and Rashmi Das combined for a 173-run stand. While Haladhar exercised control during his 98-ball 88, Rashmi was merciless during his hurricane 104, which included 15 fours and two sixes. The target of 279 looked all the more imposing when Jharkhand stuttered to 37 for 3, but Ishank Jaggi led a spirited revival which had Orissa sweating. His fluent 109 from 111 balls though, failed to inspire any of the remaining batsmen. Debasis Mohanty was Orissa’s most successful bowler with 4 for 56, as Jharkhand could manage only 267.

Central Zone

Rashmi Parida and Rajasthan must have fancied their chances getting to 303 after being put in, but Naman Ojha’s sparkling century ensured unbeaten Madhya Pradesh took the honours at the Emerald High School Ground. Rashmi’s run-a-ball 122, comprising 11 fours and a six, along with Robin Bist’s 57 proved to the highlights of Rajasthan’s innings, with the two adding 93 for the third wicket. During the reply, it was the stand of 146 between Ojha and Monish Mishra (83) which lent the initial momentum. Having lost fellow-opener Jalaj Saxena early, it was Ojha who rose to the occasion and tore into the opposition bowling with 12 fours and four sixes, before falling with the score on 216 for 4. But Shadab Khan’s quick unbeaten 40, coming in at No.7, took them home with four balls to spare.Uttar Pradesh made amends for the loss in their opening match with a thumping nine-wicket win against Vidarbha at the Maharani Usharaje Trust Cricket Ground. Choosing to field, Uttar Pradesh were lifted by Sudeep Tyagi, who was recently axed from India’s Test squad to take on South Africa. The right-arm fast bowler finished with a five-for and repeatedly dented the Vidarbha batting line-up to ensure their downfall for 141 in the 38th over. The below-par target was never going to trouble Uttar Pradesh and twin fifties from wicketkeeper Eklavya Dwivedi and Ali Murtaza helped them wrap up the win in 24.4 overs.

North Zone

Himachal Pradesh picked up their first win of the campaign, an impressive seven-wicket defeat of Delhi at Shah Satnam Ji Stadium in Sirsa. After being put in, Delhi were floundering at 58 for 4, with Virat Kohli and Mithun Manhas dismissed. Rajat Bhatia and Puneet Mehra started a recovery with a 65-run stand, before half-centuries from Puneet Bisht and Joginder Singh pushed Delhi to 234. Himachal were never in trouble during the chase, with opener Sangram Singh making a century and adding 127 runs for the third wicket with captain Paras Dogra. The target was reached with 21 deliveries to spare, Dogra remaining unbeaten on 70.At the Tata Energy Research Institute Oval in Gurgaon, Punjab brushed aside Jammu & Kashmir’s challenge, cruising to a eight-wicket victory with 97 deliveries remaining. Punjab’s new-ball bowlers Jaskaran Singh and Manpreet Gony reduced J&K to 13 for 3, and except for a 53-run stand between Parveez Rassol and Obaid Ahmed for the fifth wicket, it was a steady procession. Rassol held the innings together with an unbeaten 81 but no one else passed 25, and J&K could manage only 170. Punjab captain and opener Karan Goel’s unbeaten century and a 57 from wicketkeeper Uday Kaul made short work of the target, reaching it in the 34th over.A meltdown from the Services’ lower-order handed Haryana a five-run victory in a 49-over-a-side match at Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium in Rohtak. After choosing to bat, Haryana slid to 11 for 2 before a stabilising 118-run partnership between opener Rahul Dewan (76) and Sachin Rana (45). The pair used up more than 33 overs to add those runs, and Haryana needed captain Joginder Sharma’s 29-ball 44 to get them to 209. Services’ chase got off to a similarly dreadful start, but Jasvir Singh’s 78 kept them afloat. With Soomik Chatarjee on a 31-ball 33, and Services on 196 for 6 with 11 balls to go, Haryana’s chances were fading. Chatarjee was then run-out and Services lost two more wickets over the next eight deliveries to end up five short.

South Zone

Defending champions Tamil Nadu pulled off a thrilling two-run win over Karnataka in a high-scoring top-of-the-table clash at the Indian Institute of Technology Chemplast ground in Chennai. The Tamil Nadu top order delivered yet again, this time Abhinav Mukund being the standout performer with a near run-a-ball 89. Saturday’s centurion S Anirudha blitzed a 43 before being run out and No. 4 K Vasudevadas chipped in with 65 to help Tamil Nadu to 316. Karnataka’s chase got off to a poor start when R Jonathan was dismissed for a duck in the first over. Their other opener, Robin Uthappa, though made his first century of the season to drive the reply. He and Manish Pandey (57) put on 120 for the third wicket and at 208 for 2 in the 32nd over, it was Karnataka who were on course for a victory. However, both were dismissed in the space of eight runs and the run-out of a rampaging Vinay Kumar in the 45th over turned the match Tamil Nadu’s way. Karnataka needed 13 off the final over, but Raju Bhatkal could only manage ten in the company of last man KP Appanna. Both teams have already qualified for the next round.In another batsmen-dominated game, at the India Cement Limited Guru Nanak College ground, it was the chasing team that won, Goa picking up their second victory of the weekend. Powered by opener Akshath Reddy’s 121, and half-centuries from Ambati Rayudu and Neeraj Bist, Hyderabad piled on 310 for 7. The cornerstone of Goa’s reply was opener Amit Yadav’s maiden century, assisted by S Sriram’s 32-ball 48. Still, Goa were at 285 for 8 in the 47th over and only made it past the finish line thanks to No. 8 Shadab Jakati’s 19-ball 25.Andhra slumped to their four straight defeat, going down by six wickets to Kerala at the MRF Pachyappas Ground. Their batsmen turned in a decent effort: Y Venugopal Rao made 113 and was supported by Y Gnaneswara Rao’s 67, the pair bailing Andhra out from 22 for 3 and taking the side to a competitive 269. A solid effort from the Kerala top-order, though, dampened Andhra’s chances of a first victory. Opener VA Jagadeesh went on to make a century, and No. 3 Robert Fernandez scored 62 to take Kerala to 193 for 1. It could still have been a close finish had it not been for a hurricane 18-ball 41 from P Prasanth, who ensured the game ended with 14 deliveries remaining.

Scott Styris has been overlooked for the series against Bangladesh but new coach Mark Greatbatch, who is also a selector, said it was partly because they wanted to test their bench strength

Cricinfo staff07-Feb-2010Scott Styris, the New Zealand allrounder, has been overlooked for the series against Bangladesh but new coach Mark Greatbatch, who is also a selector, said it was partly because New Zealand wanted to test their bench strength.Styris has not been in the first-choice XI for more than year now but when he got his chances in the three ODIs against Pakistan in UAE, he didn’t make any substantial scores or impress with his bowling.”The reason Scott missed out was that we wanted to look at some others for this series,” Greatbatch told the . “He had an opportunity in Dubai as a batter and he didn’t quite take his opportunities to the full there.”Styris was one of the standout players in the Twenty20 domestic competition, the HRV Cup, scoring 274 runs at a strike-rate of 133 besides chipping in with 12 wickets. There have been media reports attributing Styris’ exclusion from the national side to an attitude problem, but Greatbatch scotched those rumours.”It was disappointing to read the speculation that he missed out because of his attitude and there’s no truth to that whatsoever,” he said. “There was no discussion during our selection meetings for this series about his behaviour.”Despite injuries to several New Zealand players, including allrounder Grant Elliott, Styris was left out, but he was encouraged by a call from Greatbatch. “I hope that I’m a valued member of that side and I think I am judging by the fact a lot of the guys this week have been telling me that’s the case,” he said. “I can only take at face value what the selectors told me. Mark Greatbatch has always been straight with me in the past and I have no reason to think that he’s not being the same now.”