All posts by h716a5.icu

The BCCI has formed a working group to study the Lodha panel’s verdict relating to the IPL 2013 corruption scandal and instructed it to present its findings in six weeks

Amol Karhadkar19-Jul-2015’IPL will be held with a minimum of eight teams’

The IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla has said the BCCI had accepted the Lodha Committee’s suspension of the owners of the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals franchises and there was “no question of any dilly-dallying”.
“The order is accepted, now we are in the process of implementing it,” he told PTI. “For that we have formed a working group and that group has been given six weeks’ time to submit its recommendations.”
Shukla also said the IPL would have at least eight sides.
“IPL will be held with a minimum of eight teams. There will be no change in that. How we will proceed will be recommended by the working group, which will have discussions with all the stakeholders like the sponsors, broadcasters, franchisees and state associations. The procedures that we adopt will therefore be approved by our legal experts, that is why we need some time to give the recommendations.”
Shukla said the group would explore several options to ensure IPL 2016 wasn’t severely affected by a shortfall of teams.
“There is a group which believes that a BCCI-appointed management team can run CSK and RR for a period of two years. Credible people can be selected for that job so that the question of conflict of interest does not arise. Another option is that we invite new bids for the two teams to ensure that the league is an eight-team affair. After two years when CSK and RR complete their suspension period, we will have 10 teams. We will consider all the options.”

The BCCI has formed a working group to study the Lodha panel’s verdict relating to the IPL 2013 corruption scandal and instructed it to present its findings in six weeks. The group comprises* IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur, BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry and IPL governing council member Sourav Ganguly, and will be assisted by Ushanath Banerjee, the board’s legal counsel.The board’s response came after an IPL governing council meeting in Mumbai on Sunday, following the Lodha committee decision to suspend the owners of the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals franchises earlier this week.The BCCI press release after the meeting stated the working group would “study this verdict, in consultation with all our key advisors and explore all the possible measures to be adopted, with an objective to protect the interests of all the stakeholders involved.”The release further stated: “This group will work within a time bound period of six weeks and report their recommendations to the IPL GC, which will deliberate and share their views with the working committee of the BCCI, for further action.”The general tone of the meeting was to explore the process of inviting bids for two new franchises and the possibility of a 10-team IPL after two years.It is understood that most of the governing council members who spoke during the hour-long meeting were of the opinion that the BCCI should start the procedure of inviting tenders for the new teams for a longer duration to ensure that the IPL’s eight-team format is maintained over the next two years.The committee was also briefed about a suggestion from former BCCI treasurer and joint secretary MP Pandove, over the addition of two teams and the likelihood of a ten-team IPL from 2018. Pandove confirmed to ESPNcricinfo he had “made such a suggestion to the secretary [Thakur] since I think that’s the most viable option for now”.Some members also cited the examples of the 2011 and 2012 IPL seasons – which were played with ten and nine teams respectively – and said if the two teams do return to the fold after serving the two-year suspension, the IPL could be played with ten teams.Sundar Raman, the IPL’s chief operating officer, reportedly said a ten-team IPL could be a logistical nightmare, but a former BCCI office bearer responded by saying Raman should not term the idea unworkable as he was an integral part of IPL’s earlier expansion.It is understood that the issue of the termination of the suspended teams’ franchise agreements was discussed, but no direct demand was made. The council was assured that the five-member working group will consider all options.Shukla’s suggestion of the BCCI independently running the two suspended franchises for two years was presented to the committee and was backed by a current office bearer who proposed that leading financial solutions firms could be involved in running the teams on the board’s behalf.A former cricketer on the governing council – who had urged the BCCI not to leave the players who contributed to the IPL brand in a lurch – reportedly said that individuals like Rahul Dravid [Rajasthan Royals mentor] and MS Dhoni [captain, Chennai Super Kings] are capable of running teams, if required, without an outsider’s assistance.The former office bearer then said Dhoni – whose comments about Gurunath Meiyappan to the Mudgal probe panel came under scrutiny – cannot be entrusted with such a responsibility. Thakur is then understood to have informed the house that the legal experts have advised that the board’s involvement in running two teams is not feasible.Thakur is also believed to have hinted at strict action against all the guilty entities.July 20, 3.00pm *This piece was amended to reflect the BCCI’s announcement of the Working Group’s composition

Presenting the World Cup newcomers who are ready to sparkle in Qatar! ✨

With the most prestigious international football competition in the world now just weeks away, the excitement is building as squad announcements continue to pour in.

Ahead of the showpiece tournament, we've come up with an XI made up entirely of players aged 23 or under who have yet to play in a World Cup.

From Jude Bellingham to William Saliba, Vinicius Junior to Darwin Nunez, these are the World Cup newcomers who are ready to shine in the Middle East.

Getty ImagesGK: Diogo Costa – Portugal

The Porto goalkeeper has made the Portugal number one spot his own since gaining his first senior international cap in October 2021.

Rui Patricio was between the sticks for the three World Cup qualifiers that followed Costa’s debut, but when the playoffs came around in March 2022, the youngster took over and helped secure the team’s passage into the finals.

Costa, who represented his country at many youth levels before breaking into the first team, was named in the Primeira Liga Team of the Year in 2021-22 as Porto won the title.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesRB: Sergino Dest – USA

Dest will be 22 when the World Cup begins but he has already played in the Eredivisie, La Liga, Serie A, and Champions League.

Having been born in the Netherlands, Dest committed to play for the USMNT when he was 18 years old, and the AC Milan loanee has gone on to play 19 games for the Stars and Stripes.

An attacking full-back that is not afraid to take players on, Dest is set to be one of the most exciting young defenders taking part in the World Cup.

Getty ImagesCB: William Saliba – France

Saliba’s loan spells at Saint-Étienne, Nice, and Marseille since joining Arsenal as a teenager look to have been a stroke of genius from the north Londoners.

The 21-year-old has slotted straight into the Gunners defence this season and looks as comfortable, assured, and physically dominant as you could hope for.

France have an embarrassment of riches at the centre-back position, but surely Didier Deschamps will have to include Saliba in his starting XI based on current form.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty ImagesCB: Josko Gvardiol – Croatia

Runners-up in 2018, Croatia’s best ever squad is now an ageing one but they will be hoping that talented newcomers like Gvardiol can steer them towards the latter stages again.

The RB Leipzig man played at left-back throughout Euro 2020, but has since operated at the centre of defence – just like he usually does for his club.

Online betting sites have priced Croatia at 20/1 to reach the World Cup final for the second time on the bounce.

Bayern are on the lookout for a new manager after confirming that the ex-Chelsea boss will be leaving in the summer

On Wednesday morning, we got the news we had all been expecting for some time: Thomas Tuchel had been given his marching orders by Bayern Munich. The announcement did come with a twist, though, with the German not set to depart his post until the end of the season.

It's an odd decision, considering that many of Bayern's top players have seemingly lost faith in Tuchel and they have a campaign-defining Champions League last-16 second-leg clash with Lazio to come next month. Perhaps finding someone to take the job mid-season seemed impossible, or maybe the club are looking to save some money by avoiding a hefty compensation package.

Regardless, the search is now firmly underway to find Tuchel's successor and there is a lot of options out there. Below, GOAL has analysed 10 of the top candidates who could end up in Bavaria this summer.

Getty ImagesXabi Alonso

Liverpool will have greeted the news of Tuchel's imminent departure with trepidation. The Reds are understood to have identified Bayer Leverkusen boss Alonso as their No.1 target to replace Jurgen Klopp at the end of the season.

However, with Bayern now on the lookout for a new head coach too, competition for his services is about to ramp up significantly. It's not hard to see why both clubs are so besotted by Alonso. In a short space of time he has overhauled Leverkusen's playing style, making them one of the most watchable teams in Europe, while also getting extremely impressive results.

For now, the Spaniard's focus will very much be on bringing the Bundesliga title to western Germany, but in the summer he has a seismic decision to make. Both the Bayern and Liverpool jobs are appealing, though he could even disappoint both by opting to stay put for the time being.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesZinedine Zidane

Zidane has been out of the game for some time now, having not returned to management since he left Real Madrid in May 2021. There's been plenty of rumours since, with interest coming from Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and the United States, but Zizou has remained on the sidelines.

Could that change this summer now the Bayern job has come up? He would seem to be a pretty good fit at least. Tactically flexible, Zidane's main strength appears to be his squad management. And with Bayern possessing a lot of egos at present, his ability to be a unifying figure who commands respect would be welcomed.

Whether he would be interested in the role is another matter. Zidane holds a burning desire to manage France one day and during a tournament year – after which Les Bleus boss Didier Deschamps could feasibly leave – he may prefer to remain a free agent.

GettyHansi Flick

Flick's reputation took a battering during his time in charge of Germany. However, it should not be forgotten what an outstanding job he did at Bayern between 2019 and 2021.

Parachuted in to save Die Roten's season following Niko Kovac's disastrous reign, Flick would go on to lead the club to only their second-ever continental treble. His only full campaign wasn't quite as successful, but he still led Bayern to the Bundesliga title – something Tuchel is currently proving is far from the guarantee it is often portrayed as.

The less said about his time as Germany boss the better, but if the club are looking for a safe pair of hands, Flick could be the ideal, short-term choice to provide a bit of stability.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty ImagesJurgen Klopp

If Klopp wishes to sever all ties with his beloved Borussia Dortmund, while also severely p***ing off Liverpool fans, he could give Bayern a call. We're pretty sure he's happy enough sitting back and relaxing, though. At least for the next year anyway.

For the first time on the tour, India began the day in ascendency, and they made the most of it by making giant strides towards a series-levelling win

The Report by Sidharth Monga15-Feb-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Ajinkya Rahane brought up his maiden Test ton•Getty ImagesFor the first time on the tour, India began the day in ascendency, and they capitalised by making giant strides towards a series-levelling win, which if achieved will be their first overseas win since June 2011. At the centre of India’s dominance, of a day during which they threatened to leave the door ajar, was Ajinkya Rahane, who brought up his maiden Test century after enduring moments of drama with the notoriously unhelpful Zaheer Khan for company. When Rahane came in to bat, India had lost two quick wickets to be five down and were still 27 behind, but he soothed nerves and exorcised the haunting memories of Trent Bridge 2011 during a full-of-intent partnership of 120 with MS Dhoni in 24.1 overs, which took India to their seventh-highest lead away from home.This was only the sixth away century by an Indian No. 7, but also it was a first century for someone who had spent years amassing close to 6000 first-class runs before he was even given a chance to score one for India. Rahane’s celebration betrayed no frustration or anger you would associate with a modern batsman who has had to wait for so long. His innings was equally level-headed. He could just as easily have become part of a collapse, and made Dhoni lament another big moment lost, which has happened way too often with India from home.Despite Ishant Sharma’s annoying 40-minute stay in the morning, despite Shikhar Dhawan’s continuance of his charge, India had that familiar feeling of an impending collapse when they lost three wickets for 24 runs around the first-hour mark. It included the wicket of Dhawan two runs short of what would have been a third century to a clever scrambled-seam offcutter from Tim Southee. Rohit Sharma had just dragged on a wide half-volley from debutant Jimmy Neesham. India needed something solid especially given how Virat Kohli was not looking his solid self on a day that he would have sensed domination around the corner.As Kohli played and missed a little in pursuit of that domination, Rahane began a proper Test innings, not playing away from the body, happy to nurdle and deflect, and using soft hands when he did drive. The soft hands showed in how two edges didn’t go to hand, either side of his half-century. New Zealand, though, looked happy to give him the singles he could take, and play on India’s patience. By the time the lead reached 36, Neil Wagner had frustrated Kohli so much with his dry bowling that the batsman gave short cover a simple catch. Wagner’s figures in that spell then: 6-3-7-1.Rahane was 33 off 71 then, and New Zealand would have been happy to let him score at that rate if they could go through the rest of the suspect batting. With Dhoni, they had another think coming. He came in and launched a calculated assault, hitting Wagner for four successive fours: drive through cover, pull through square leg, cut to point, loft over mid-off . This was a crucial phase because the new ball at that time was only 12 overs away, and if New Zealand could have kept India quiet until then, they would have fancied restricting the lead to around 100.That initial attack, though, settled things down, and Rahane could continue playing his natural game. And he did so beautifully. The on-drives and cover-drives were sights to behold. The acceleration began to happen without an apparent effort to do so. As Rahane became a little more adventurous, New Zealand set back even more, and by the time the new ball was claimed, his half-century had been brought up and the lead approached 100.Dhoni managed to attack the new ball too, which was the best possible outcome for India. It travelled faster, and both the batsmen cashed in. It all began with his lashing cut to the second delivery he took with that new ball, and by the time Rahane hit Boult for back-to-back boundaries in the 89th over India had spent their longest in this series without losing a wicket to the new ball. Dhoni, though, had taken a blow to his hand, and Boult followed him there, drawing out a gloved catch down the leg side to end his innings 32 short of what could have been his first century outside Asia.Rahane, though, kept his head even though all around him were losing theirs. Ravindra Jadeja went bang-bang for his 26 off 16, Zaheer tried his best to get out and leave Rahane in the 90s with the No. 11, and the umpires called a Wagner no-ball that didn’t quite look like one after having missed quite a few earlier in the day. Rahane enjoyed a slice of luck, too, when he tried to work the last ball of an over to leg from outside off, and the leading edge flew over gully. The shot, necessitated by Zaheer’s presence at the other end, took him to 96, and the hundred came up without further drama.The drama for the day was not done yet as the struggling Peter Fulton padded up to Zaheer, and was trapped lbw. New Zealand ended the day needing 222 to make India bat again.

With starkly different wins in the run-up to this game, both Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders will fancy their chances of success

The Preview by Rachna Shetty25-Apr-2014Match factsSaturday, April 26, 2014
Start time 1830 local (1430 GMT, 2000 IST)2:19

Agarkar: Don’t like KKR’s ploy of four seamers

The big pictureKings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders come into this game on the back of contrasting wins. While Kings XI thrashed Sunrisers Hyderabad by 72 runs, Knight Riders broke out of jail during a two-run win against Royal Challengers Bangalore, an outcome influenced by their fielding as the opposition’s batting.The shadow of Glenn Maxwell’s form looms over this match too, after his 43-ball 95 but Knight Riders would have taken note of two things from the game against Sunrisers – first, Dale Steyn and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the side’s best bowlers, had just nine balls at Maxwell in all. Second, the scores of the other Kings XI batsmen showed how untested the rest of the line-up is. Moreover, no one really knows how they can play if the pivotal Maxwell falls early. Depending on their breakthroughs and the way Knight Riders manage their bowling, it sets up a fascinating sub-contest between Maxwell and David Miller and Sunil Narine and Morne Morkel.A shaky batting order is not a problem area for the Kings XI exclusively. The longest Knight Riders’ openers have lasted together is 10 balls and their Indian batsmen have also been diffident. The relatively weaker Kings XI bowling offers a chance to strike form.Players to watchKings XI’s costliest buy at the auction, Mitchell Johnson, hasn’t quite hit the peaks he found in the IPL last year, where he took 24 wickets in 17 games for Mumbai Indians. There’s a big decision to be made on how he plans the next phase of his career, but for the time being, Kings XI need an inspiring rally from him if they are to deal with the reputation of being extravagant with the ball.Knight Riders’ opening pair of Gautam Gambhir and Jacques Kallis occupy the top two spots on the list of batsmen with most ducks in the IPL. In four innings right before the IPL, Gambhir had tallied 162 runs, which is why his recent failure looks even starker. For a captain whose leadership thrives with his own performance – he was one of the top run-getters in the league when Knight Riders won the title in 2012 – a return to form is imperative at this stage.Stats and trivia In 65 innings, Glenn Maxwell has faced 348 dot balls out of a total 898 balls faced. In three seasons for Rajasthan Royals, Yusuf Pathan had scored 1011 runs with a hundred and six fifties. In three IPL seasons with Kolkata Knight Riders, he has 809 runs and just one fifty, which came in last year’s edition. Kings XI have won five out of 11 games between the two teams.

Brendon McCullum was happy setting Pakistan 261 in 72 overs, in the hope that temptation might get the better of Misbah-ul-Haq’s previously impervious side

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Nov-2014Hesson ‘pleased’ with spinners’ performance

New Zealand coach Mike Hesson is optimistic about his bowlers’ performance – both seamers and spinners – who took 15 wickets in the second Test in Dubai, compared to only five in the first Test in Abu Dhabi. Hesson said the seamers’ outing in Abu Dhabi was only an “aberration.”
“They are two quality bowlers [Tim Southee and Trent Boult] who in the last couple of years have performed everywhere,” Hesson said. “It was a bit of an aberration in Abu Dhabi where they weren’t able to create anything but they still bowled tightly enough. Those guys have gone away and worked on a few things and tried to find ways of creating opportunities. I thought the way they kept chugging in today was exceptional, and over the last five days was great.”
Hesson said his spinners were not used to bowling on subcontinent pitches but he was pleased with the way they had adapted in the two Tests.
“Our spinners aren’t used to bowling on conditions with footholes playing such a part,” he said. “Pakistan spinners beat us off the wicket and at home traditionally we try and beat guys in the air. When you have footholes to hit, it’s very hard to change the method that you’ve trained your whole life. I thought the way Ish [Sodhi] and Mark [Craig] have adapted over the last couple of Tests is pleasing but they are still striving for consistency of pace as well.
“[Yasir] Shah and [Zulfiqar] Babar don’t give away lot of freebies so you’ve got to scrap hard for your runs. And that’s something that our spinners are learning, these guys are little more experienced than us but we are getting better.”

When your opponent has chased down a score of 300 at more than five runs an over in recent memory, most captains could be forgiven for approaching a second-innings declaration with caution. Brendon McCullum is happy to describe himself as an “eternal optimist”, however, and preferred to dangle the carrot of victory in front of Pakistan rather than take the draw that would keep alive New Zealand’s chances of levelling the series.No matter that Pakistan had chased 302 in 57.3 overs in Sharjah at the start of the year to overcome a defensive-minded Sri Lanka; McCullum was confident enough to set them 261 in 72 overs, in the hope that temptation might get the better of Misbah-ul-Haq’s previously impervious side.With Pakistan 75 for 4 and tea some way off, McCullum’s gamble looked to have been well-judged. Asad Shafiq’s dogged innings, in partnerships with Younis Khan and Sarfraz Ahmed, made sure Pakistan would hold on to their 1-0 lead but New Zealand could draw strength from denying the hosts a fourth straight Test victory while maintaining their chances of squaring the series in Sharjah next week.”When you’re making those kind of decisions, you look at the history of what’s happened, how the opposition team has responded in situations like this and try and get a bit of information, rather than having to come up with a willy-nilly score,” McCullum said. “So we looked at all of that stuff, the strength of their line-up, and we thought if we keep them semi-interested, that would give us our greatest opportunity.”We didn’t want to hand it to them, that’s for sure, because we worked far too hard throughout the game to make a reckless decision. But the one we came up with kept them interested but also kept us interested and gave us enough time if we’d been able to knock over the top order. Credit to them but we’ll walk away pretty happy as well.”Having posted 403 in their first innings, New Zealand were looking at a significant lead when Pakistan were reduced to 312 for 9. However, Sarfraz battled his way to a century during a last-wicket stand worth 81, which McCullum said prevented New Zealand from “dictating play a little bit more”.New Zealand were then wobbling at 125 for 5 in their second innings but recovered through Ross Taylor’s century. In keeping with his reputation for positive captaincy, McCullum chose to declare New Zealand’s innings nine down, after a brief salvo from Tim Southee took the target above 250, to give the visitors their best chance of victory.”I thought it was a pretty fair declaration, there was enough there for the batting team to stay interested if they got off to a good start and there was also enough time for us if we’d been able to knock over the top order reasonably quickly to be able take 10 wickets on a wearing track,” McCullum said. “From our point of view, we’re trying to win Test matches and hence we went down that route rather than looking to try and bat out more of the day. I thought it was a brilliant Test match and, whilst there was no winner, a really good advert for Test cricket.”It almost deserved a winner, it was that good a Test. We’ll hark back to that 10th-wicket partnership where if we’d been able to make inroads at that point we’d have been able to go on and dictate play a little bit more. But it wasn’t to be and credit has to go to Sarfraz, I thought his innings under an immense amount of pressure was outstanding, the way he shepherded the lower order through to that score.”In times gone past there’s probably a tendency for us to have gone into our shell after losing some of that momentum but I thought the way we came out and played positively and with some intent, looking to try and win the Test match was a real credit to us. It’s a really good sign from my point of view because it shows that a young team is prepared to play aggressive cricket to get some wins in the column. The wins are what you remember most – we’ll remember a lot out of this Test match but it would have been great to get across the line. It was certainly a gamble worth taking.”McCullum conceded that “winning the toss helped”, breaking Pakistan’s run of batting first and racking up match-winning scores, and he will hope to call correctly again at the start of the third Test, as New Zealand seek to extend an unbeaten run in series stretching back to May 2013. More runs from Taylor, after a relatively dry year, would also aid their chances.”Ross’ innings was brilliant,” McCullum said. “The game was teetering. For him to come out, he’s been a little bit lean on runs in the series, to have that utter confidence in his game, his proactive-ness put some pressure back on Pakistan. To keep doing that in trying circumstances takes a lot of courage and it was great to see him get a hundred and get us into a position where we could make a bold declaration. That was a big feather for us as well, delighted for Ross and delighted for the group, we’ll take a lot out of that innings and the way we responded.”

Graham Lloyd and Alex Wharf have been added to the ECB’s first-class umpires list for 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2013Graham Lloyd and Alex Wharf have been added to the ECB’s first-class umpires list for 2014. Lloyd and Wharf, who both played ODI cricket for England, will replace Trevor Jesty, who has retired, and Richard Illingworth, after his promotion to the ICC’s Elite Panel of umpires.Former Lancashire batsman Lloyd – the son of former England player and coach David Lloyd, who was also a first-class umpire – played six one-dayers between 1996 and 1998, as well as amassing more than 17,000 runs for his county. He took up umpiring in 2008.Wharf started umpiring after his retirement in 2009 and was added to the ECB’s reserve list three years ago. The Yorkshire-born seamer spent most of his playing career with Glamorgan and took 18 wickets in 13 ODIs for England between 2004 and 2005.”We are delighted to welcome Alex and Graham onto the full list for 2014,” the ECB’s chief executive, David Collier, said. “These promotions are richly deserved and reflect the quality of Alex and Graham’s performances in last season’s domestic competitions and their high levels of commitment and professionalism overall.”ECB full list 2014: Rob Bailey, Neil Bainton, Mark Benson, Martin Bodenham, Nick Cook, Nigel Cowley, Jeff Evans, Steve Gale, Steve Garratt, Michael Gough, Ian Gould, Peter Hartley, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Graham Lloyd, Jeremy Lloyds, Neil Mallender, David Millns, Steve O’Shaughnessy, Tim Robinson, Martin Saggers, George Sharp, Alex Wharf, Peter Willey

Bruce Martin, the New Zealand left-arm spinner, will miss the rest of the England tour as a result of a calf injury he sustained during the first Test at Lord’s

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-2013Bruce Martin, the New Zealand left-arm spinner, will miss the rest of the England tour as a result of a calf injury he sustained during the first Test at Lord’s which means Daniel Vettori could return to the Test side for the first time in 10 months. Neither Martin or wicketkeeper BJ Watling, who New Zealand remain “hopeful” will play the second Test, took the field on the fourth day during England’s second innings, although both batted as the tourists were dismissed for 68 to lose by 170 runs.Vettori will arrive a day ahead of the rest of the ODI squad as a potential replacement for Martin for the second Test at Headingley, which begins on Friday. Vettori has been at the IPL but did not play a single game for Bangalore Royal Challengers and his fitness will be assessed. Jeetan Patel, the offspinner currently playing county cricket for Warwickshire, is another option for New Zealand.The morning after New Zealand were humbled, the coach Mike Hesson was left to assess the injury situation. “Daniel’s come over 24 hours earlier for us to have a chance to have a look at him,” he said. “We won’t be pushing Dan if he’s not ready but if he is we’d certainly love to have him.””He’s done plenty of bowling in the last couple of months in the IPL, albeit in the nets. He’s got through plenty of work. But it’s a matter of whether we think he’s going to be able to get through five days of a test match. We won’t risk Dan for the sake of a test. But in saying that it is an important Test for us.”Vettori’s previous Test appearance came on the tour of the Caribbean last July since when he has suffered a string of injuries – the most serious being an Achilles problem – with his only international outings being at last year’s World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka.No wicketkeeping back-up has been requested for Watling, with Tom Latham an option within the squad. Brendon McCullum took the gloves at Lord’s, although he has not kept wicket in a full Test since 2010 and already has plenty of responsibilities as captain and batsman. Watling was not selected for the ODI leg of the tour, in which Luke Ronchi, the former Australia wicketkeeper, is expected to make his New Zealand debut but Hesson said that Ronchi was unlikely to feature at Headingley.

According to a recent report from Faro de Vigo, Wesley Hoedt looks set to leave Southampton for Celta Vigo this month. The centre back only made the move to St Mary’s back in the summer of 2017 after a few years at Italian giants Lazio, but struggles for regular game time under new Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has plunged his future at the club into huge doubt. 

In fact, the Austrian admitted earlier this month that the 24-year-old was free to leave Southampton, and that looks set to happen as reports suggest that La Liga outfit Celtic Vigo are closing in on a move for the Netherlands international, which appears to make sense for all parties involved given Hoedt’s lowly position in the Saints pecking order.

And fellow Southampton flop Mohamed Elyounoussi, valued at £13.5 million by Transfermarkt, simply must seek to follow the Spain-bound Hoedt out of St Mary’s this month for the better of his career as well.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, while Dutchman Hoedt was a regular for the South Coast side in his debut season at the club last time round, appearing 28 times in their battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League, he simply hasn’t been able to convince new boss Hasenhuttl of his capabilities in the centre back role.

In fact, the 24-year-old has gone from being one of the first names on former manager Mark Hughes’ team-sheet to failing to appear at all under the Austrian, with failing to make any of their last six match-day squads in the league underlining just how far away he is from the first team.

And his lowly position in the pecking order was further emphasised by the fact that he didn’t make either squad for their two FA Cup clashes against Derby County earlier this month – despite plenty of changes from Hasenhuttl, Hoedt wasn’t one of them.

And it appears that the Netherlands international will indeed get the chance to resurrect his career with regular football at Celta Vigo, and fellow Saints star Elyounoussi should look to do exactly the same this month in leaving Southampton after a woeful first six months in English football.

There was much anticipation when the Norway international made the move to St Mary’s during the summer after impressing in his two years at Swiss giants Basel, yet that optimism simply hasn’t transpired into anything meaningful in the winger’s opening half a season in the Premier League.

In fact, the 24-year-old has yet to score a goal or indeed lay on an assist in 15 appearances in all competitions for the Saints this season, which is a pretty damning indictment of just how far off the pace Elyounoussi has looked this term – even against lower league opposition in Derby, the Norwegian star seriously struggled to make a meaningful impact.

And with Nathan Redmond having been galvanised by the arrival of Hasenhuttl on the other flank, there is clearly a place for talented wingers to produce the goods in the Austrian’s team – yet that just doesn’t look like happening with Elyounoussi.

And with fellow flop Hoedt seemingly on his way out of St Mary’s this month, the former Basel man simply must seek to follow him out the exit door in a bid to get his career going again.

Southampton fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Australia have spun a major selection surprise by including the 19-year-old Ashton Agar, a Western Australian left-arm spinner, in their XI for the first Ashes Test

Daniel Brettig at Trent Bridge10-Jul-2013Australia have spun a major selection surprise by including the 19-year-old Ashton Agar, a Western Australian left-arm spinner, in their XI for the first Test against England at Trent Bridge.Glenn McGrath’s presence in the Australian team huddle a little less than an hour before the toss suggested a change to the team, and Agar emerged wearing his baggy green cap, presented on the strength of only ten first-class matches. His selection appears geared towards exploiting England’s phalanx of right-handers, while also opening up a familiar wound for Kevin Pietersen.However, it is a major blow to the career of the offspinner Nathan Lyon, who took nine wickets in his last Test match against India in Delhi. The selection also recalled events of the last Ashes series in Australia, when the previous selection panel dropped Nathan Hauritz on the eve of the series for Xavier Doherty, a move made with Pietersen in mind.Unlike Doherty, Agar is a capable batsman and also a fine fielder. His inclusion leaves the tourists with a team that can be said to bat all the way down to No. 11.”The main reason for the selection is taking the ball away from all their right-handers and we think this is a really important weapon in particular for this Test match on that particular wicket,” the coach Darren Lehmann said. “In the tour match Michael [Clarke] felt he had good drift and straightened the ball nicely so that’s just the way we have gone with the selectors in this Test match and we’re looking forward to him playing really well.”Agar was not included in the initial Ashes squad, but after Lehmann’s naming as coach he was upgraded to a place on tour, much like Steve Smith, the other notable inclusion in the team.Smith’s selection reflects a desire to have another right-hander and capable player of spin in the middle order, while also forcing David Warner to earn his spot back after poor form and a suspension for punching Joe Root during the Champions Trophy.In one of the more convoluted paths to keeping a place in the team, Smith was initially left out of the Ashes squad but named vice-captain of the Australia A tour that served as a prelude. He was also on standby should an extra Ashes batsmen be required, an event that came to pass due to Warner’s suspension and Michael Clarke’s back trouble early in the tour.Having battled gamely during his two India Tests, Smith went on to impress Rod Marsh and Lehmann – before he was appointed coach – on the Australia A tour, notably making a century against Ireland on a difficult first-day wicket in Belfast. He was then included for the final tour match against Worcestershire and played a pair of sprightly innings.Smith is being groomed for leadership roles in the future by Cricket Australia, and was set to lead the A team to South Africa later this month before his Ashes tickets were upgraded. He will now have the opportunity to demonstrate how much he has developed since being a figure of some ridicule during the 2010-11 series, when his technique did not appear that of a top six batsman.The rest of Australia’s batting order was more or less as expected, Clarke moving to No. 4 having batted there in every innings so far on tour, Ed Cowan moving down to No. 3 and the pace attack comprising James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc and Peter Siddle.Australia: 1 Shane Watson, 2 Chris Rogers, 3 Ed Cowan, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Phillip Hughes, 6 Steve Smith, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 James Pattinson, 11 Ashton Agar.