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Michael Vaughan wants to be judged on form and form alone when it comes to the possibility of a recall to the England squad for the first Test against West Indies at Lord’s next month

Andrew Miller21-Apr-2009Michael Vaughan wants to be judged on the runs he has scored, rather than the big-game experience he can fall back on, when it comes to the possibility of a recall to the England squad for the first Test against West Indies at Lord’s next month.Vaughan has not played Test cricket since resigning the England captaincy in August last year, but had expected to find out on Monday whether he had made the first international squad of the summer. Instead that decision was postponed, allowing him to travel to Chester-le-Street for Yorkshire’s opening County Championship fixture of the season against Durham on Wednesday knowing that a solid performance would put him firmly in line for a comeback.”I’m glad it’s been put back a week, it’s the right decision for everyone,” Vaughan told Cricinfo. “I’m very pleased with my pre-season preparation, and Durham is a great place for me to start against a really good bowling attack. [Steve] Harmison, [Liam] Plunkett and [Graham] Onions at this time of year will be a tough examination, but it’s pretty obvious what I’ve got to do – score some runs.”Vaughan has already played two innings against Durham so far this season. He made 12 while playing for MCC in the season’s opening fixture at Lord’s, but then showed glimpses of his best form during an attractive 43 in the Friends Provident Trophy on Sunday. “I’m playing nicely,” he said. “I have been doing since January. I don’t want to just be picked on experience. It’s important that I score runs for my own sake.”The competition for England’s No. 3 is the most keenly contested in the side at the moment, although Vaughan will have to go some way to overhaul the start made by Ian Bell, who followed up his 172 for Warwickshire against Somerset at Taunton with a further century against the same opponents at Edgbaston. “I don’t think it should come down to whose scoring the most runs,” said Vaughan, “but I think it’s important that whoever plays is in good form when they are picked.”After a winter away from the international scene, Vaughan is eager to get back involved. “I’d like another stab at the England side,” he said. “I feel I’ve got a great opportunity to do that. Last summer I got to a stage where I wasn’t quite enjoying cricket, and I didn’t like that feeling at all, but anyone who’s been around me for the last six months will see that I’m ready to go.”During his time away from the front line, Vaughan has remained an interested observer. “England’s form has been patchy, there’s no point in denying that, but what I saw in the West Indies was a team that got better after being bowled out in Jamaica,” he said. “They should have won in Antigua, could have won in Trinidad, and could have won the series 2-1. I know these are ifs, but sometimes the hardest bit is to get over the line to win.”To that end, Vaughan believes they have the perfect man in charge to get England back to winning ways. “I do believe in Straussy as a captain,” he said. “I really think he’ll be a great England captain, one who’ll offer a lot of stability, a lot of consistency and a lot of maturity, and those are exactly the attributes you require to be England captain.””He’s also a good thinker of the game but he’s also realistic. He knows exactly where the team can end up, and he and Andy Flower will have a vision, which is crucial. The partnership they are creating seems to be a good one, and hopefully it will be a more stable time and the team will prosper.”Even so, Vaughan warned that expectations will have to be managed as Ashes fever takes hold of the country. “You’ve got to be careful because you’ve got to give Flower time,” he said. “He’s only just come into the position as a full-time coach, and the Ashes are two months away.”Myself and Duncan [Fletcher] were lucky, we had two years to develop a team to take on the Aussies in 2005. We had a great set of players operating in the fashion that we wanted, and that took time. This summer is a big summer for the world game because the Ashes is very special, but it’s not the be-all and end-all for the England team, because it’s all relatively new for Flower and Strauss.”Whatever happens, however, Vaughan insisted that the 2009 would not be his last in the game. “I’ve enjoyed being back in the Yorkshire ranks,” he said. “People might find that hard to believe, when you play in Ashes-winning teams and been with England for ten years. But I love the game and being in the ranks is a real good change. I won’t play forever because I’ll get too old. But I’ll certainly be playing cricket next year.”Click here to listen to the full interview with Michael Vaughan.

With 10 wickets and 122 runs and potentially the catch of the tournament , Afridi has again staked his claim for Player-of-the-Tournament award

Osman Samiuddin20-Jun-2009At the very heart of Pakistan’s invigorating run to a second successive World Twenty20 final has been a player you might think was put on the planet to play Twenty20 cricket. A three-four over bash with the bat, a quick four-over spell hustled through the middle overs and some adrenaline-fuelled cheerleading in the field: thanks very much, Shahid Afridi.Having been the Player of the Tournament in the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007, Afridi was expected to be a key component again this time. His form in the immediate run-up to the tournament, especially with ball in hand, had been outstanding and even with the bat, against Australia, a brief vigour had re-emerged. And with ten wickets, 122 runs, potentially the catch of the tournament and a semi-final all-round performance to match any, Afridi has again staked his claim for top individual honours.The catch to dismiss Scott Styris off Umar Gul, running back to long-on and taking it at full-stretch over his shoulder – “any player, any piece of fielding, batting or bowling, can do that,” said Afridi – was the moment at which Pakistan’s tournament turned. And he followed it up with what he considers to be among his best individual performances against South Africa. “Without a doubt it’s up there. I’ve put in some good matches in the past, but to do it in such a big-game, in a semi, against such a strong side, it has to be up there,” Afridi told Cricinfo. “Wickets were down, the pressure was on and it was such an occasion, it makes it very special.”The improvement in Afridi’s bowling has been among the more remarkable sights in cricket, all the variety, threat and control apparent in his spell of 2 for 16 against South Africa. As significant have been three contributions with the bat, culminating with an eminently sensible 51 in the semi-final. “I don’t know if I’m at my peak with the ball but certainly I’ve put a lot more effort into it. Nothing extraordinary, just hard work,” he said.”I used to think of myself as a batsman three to four years ago because that is how everyone started to think of me. But I was moved around so much the order that I just went back to concentrating on bowling. I told Younis I wanted to bat up the order and it worked.”Pakistan’s surge to a second successive final has been vastly different in nature to the relatively smooth progress of two years ago. Four of their six games have been do-or-die, performances have oscillated and it has resembled more 1992. “Playing in the UK is much different to surfaces in South Africa or Australia,” Afridi said. “We arrived here later than most other countries as well and it took us time to adjust to the atmosphere. We’ve picked up day by day and we’ve got that momentum now. Our big advantage was that we played two big sides [India and South Africa] in the warm-ups. Sure we lost to them but it was good to have those games.”Younis Khan’s influence as captain has also come under the scanner. Even though he is the side’s top scorer, his comments at the start of the tournament – that this was all a bit of fun – have attracted scorn. Ex-chief selector Abdul Qadir’s comments, that Younis wouldn’t have been in the World Cup squad had he had his way, didn’t help. Typically, Afridi has brushed aside the criticism.”As far as I know Younis, I don’t think how his statement came out in the press was how he intended it,” said Afridi. “You often say something and it gets misinterpreted totally. The best thing about Younis has been his positivity. He is not scared of anything and he hasn’t allowed pressure to affect the side. Mentally he is very strong.”Only one game remains now and even if Pakistan have achieved more than anyone expected them to, there appears no let up among the side. “Personally I never lost hope [of reaching this far]. I’ve played this whole tournament as I’ve played all my life – that each and every match is my first and last match and that I have to give it my all.”The way I do it on the field, people can see. The aggressiveness, motivating bowlers, other fielders, I’ve always done it and if we, as a team, go into the final with the kind of body language that we did in the semis, we can go in confident.”

Portsmouth have enjoyed a strong start to the 2021/22 campaign and are currently sat in fifth position in League One during the first international break of the season.

Danny Cowley’s side have 10 points on the board, with three wins, one draw and one defeat after five games. Only Sunderland (12) have more, with Pompey one of six teams tied on 10 points below the Black Cats at the top of the table.

The south coast side won their first three league matches of the season, beating Fleetwood, Crewe and Shrewsbury. They were then held to a 0-0 draw by Doncaster before losing 1-0 to Wigan in their last game of the month in League One.

A number of players caught the eye with their performances in August, including on-loan Manchester City goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu – who started four of the five games and impressed between the sticks with an average SofaScore rating of 7.30 (before denying Cristiano Ronaldo from the penalty spot in midweek).

Forget the Republic of Ireland international, though, as it was Clark Robertson who was Pompey’s star man in August with his excellent performances at centre-back, as his defending helped Bazunu to rack up clean sheets and earn a high SofaScore rating of 7.18.

He was a defensive powerhouse throughout the month as he helped the team to keep four clean sheets in five games in League One. The only league goal Pompey conceded in August came in the 1-0 defeat to Wigan, with none conceded in the first four matches.

Keeping a clean sheet is a team effort, but Robertson stood out with his dominance in defence. As per SofaScore, he won an incredible 74% of his duels on the pitch, averaging 6.4 duels won per game. This shows that he was able to dominate the opposition and prevent them from winning much against him, stopping attacks and creating opportunities for his team to hit on the break, or to alleviate pressure by retaining possession.

Robertson, who joined from Rotherham in the summer, also made zero errors leading to shots or goals to further illustrate just how reliable he was for Cowley at the back. This shows how he was virtually faultless in the five matches, which is why he was arguably Pompey’s star man during August.

His excellence at the back built a platform for the attacking players to do their work without needing to worry about silly errors behind them. With just one goal conceded from five league games for Cowley’s side, Robertson’s performances have undoubtedly been key to their strong start to the campaign.

AND in other news, Pompey fans will be buzzing with Cowley’s claim on gem tipped to “become a top player”…

South Africa were made to wait longer than expected for a consolation victory in Cape Town by Mitchell Johnson’s first Test century and a stubborn knock from Andrew McDonald

The Bulletin by Jamie Alter22-Mar-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Mitchell Johnson’s maiden century was a stirring affair and gave South Africa palpitations before they eventually won•AFPMinor lapses in concentration were always going to be crucial on a day like this. For two sessions it was Australia who paid for erring, and in the final it was South Africa – having stuck to their task so well until tea – who relaxed and looked on in bewilderment as centurion Mitchell Johnson and Andrew McDonald thumped a rearguard of dizzying proportions. In the end, however, Australia were unable to overcome a massive deficit and fell to an innings defeat – 11 years and a day to the last time that happened.With the score reading 231 for 6 at tea, South Africa were in charge but things went pear-shaped after the interval. Truly, final sessions have seldom had so much packed in them. Nineteen fours, six sixes, and a near hat-trick meant there was plenty of entertainment for the crowd as Johnson hit a robust maiden century and McDonald showed what he could deliver with the bat after four limp innings on the tour. But it wasn’t enough to stop South Africa securing victory in the dead rubber, with Paul Harris’ snaring six wickets.Jacques Kallis left big gaps on the leg side for McDonald – a mid-on, deep square leg and fine leg – to basically invite the shots, but he also picked the gaps on the off side really well. McDonald played some cracking strokes, with fluent drives either side of the pitch – at one point he flayed three successive off-side boundaries off Makhaya Ntini. His maiden half-century was a pleasing effort and the 100-run partnership was up in 14.5 oversJohnson didn’t waste time, clearing the front leg to clear the infield or cream back-foot drives effortlessly. His off-drives were simply stunning and his half-century took only 51 balls. There was more to come as Johnson extended the party. The sublime – a pull for six off Dale Steyn – was followed by the carefree – a straight six off Harris – and the sixties, seventies and eighties were a blur.Then a moment of tension. Johnson was left stranded on 96 in Johannesburg and when Australia lost two in two balls, it was déjà vu. Harris snapped the raucous stand when a review for an inside-edge onto McDonald’s pad to silly point was upheld in the bowler’s favour. Next ball Peter Siddle popped a simple catch to bat-pad and South Africa packed seven men around the bat for the hat-trick ball. It wasn’t to be.With Australia eight down, Johnson declined a single from the first delivery of Steyn’s next over. Taking a deep breath he took guard as Steyn hurried in and smacked the ball over midwicket for six to raise three figures. He finished unbeaten on 123 when the last man Ben Hilfenhaus edged to slip, giving Harris career-best figures.That exasperating last passage was in stark contrast to proceedings in the morning, when both sides decided to play the waiting game. After the flogging of yesterday afternoon, a battle of attrition played out when just 40 runs were made in two hours. Scoring became immaterial as Simon Katich and Michael Hussey set about trying to eat up the hours, playing the ball straight and with soft hands.The first run didn’t come for 23 minutes, after which Katich was dropped by Harris at gully without adding a run to his overnight 44. Twenty minutes before lunch an unlikely stroke led to his downfall when he chased a flighted delivery and picked out mid-off. It was soon after the lunch break that Australia had their second breakthrough. The diligent Steyn had worked hard on the approach of Hussey, bowling a good line outside the off stump, and when he brought his line closer he was rewarded as the ball got big and took the shoulder of the blade to a tumbling gully.While Clarke collected four boundaries in three overs with twinkle-toed efficiency, his new partner never settled. Brad Haddin, a tad squirmy at the crease, chipped a lofted shot to a back-pedalling JP Duminy at mid-on. As the pressure told Clarke opened up with some rasping cuts but his attacking instincts eventually got the better of him. Steyn returned for another super spell close to tea, kept up the desired intensity, pitched the ball up outside off stump, and Clarke dragged it back on.A stunning rearguard followed, but victory for South Africa was never in doubt. They came back after being behind for two whole Tests and Steyn’s bowling on day one, when he attacked and contained at the same time, was vital in keeping them afloat. The centuries from Ashwell Prince, Kallis and AB de Villiers were crucial components too in this win, which snapped South Africa’s string of five consecutive losses to Australia at home.

Lancashire have announced that they have frozen ticket prices for all domestic matches at Old Trafford in 2009

Cricinfo staff05-Feb-2009Lancashire have announced that they have frozen ticket prices for all domestic matches at Old Trafford in 2009.The news, coming less than a fortnight after Sussex slashed prices for their tour match against the Australians, reflects the realisation that the current recession is likely to impact severely on attendances.”In these testing economic times, we want all sports fans to be able to watch exciting and competitive domestic cricket without loosening the purse strings, this is why we have decided to freeze prices,” explained commercial manager Geoff Durbin.Capacity at Old Trafford will be reduced from 16,000 to 12,000 this season as a result of the construction of a new conference and events centre. In the coming weeks, the section of the stadium from the right-hand side of the pavilion around to and including the old scoreboard will be demolished.

Andrew Symonds will learn of his fate at a code of behaviour hearing in Melbourne on Thursday after being reported by Cricket Australia for his comments about the New Zealand player Brendon McCullum

Cricinfo staff27-Jan-2009
Andrew Symonds has been no stranger to controversy over the past six months © Getty Images
Andrew Symonds will learn of his fate at a code of behaviour hearing in Melbourne on Thursday after being reported by Cricket Australia for his comments about the New Zealand player Brendon McCullum. Symonds could face a fine or suspension over a radio interview in which he called the New Zealand player Brendon McCullum “a lump of s…”.”Given the importance of the tribunal hearing, it would be inappropriate to comment on the issue now a report has been made,” Michael Brown, the acting chief executive of Cricket Australia, said on Tuesday. “Once the outcome of this hearing is finalised, Cricket Australia will be in a better position to assess issues relating to Andrew Symonds.”The controversial radio interview is the latest in a long line of off-field dramas involving Symonds. In the past six months alone he was axed from the national squad in Darwin for going on a fishing trip, undertook a rehabilitation programme, and then became involved in a bar-room incident after his Test comeback in Brisbane.Symonds is currently preparing for his Sheffield Shield comeback on Friday after having knee surgery earlier this month. His Queensland coach Trevor Barsby said the state squad would offer him whatever support was required but that ultimately it was up to Symonds to understand the consequences of his behaviour.”He is a big boy so he must realise that he has to take control of his own destiny,” Barsby said in the . “He has the full support of current and former players – and a direct line to some counsellors – but at the end of the day the buck stops with him.”We can help him as much as possible but we can’t babysit him. Roy needs to choose to do something about things and take ownership. He is a grown man and he’s got to be aware of the consequences of his actions.”Symonds apologised for the McCullum comments and said he was trying to go along with the light-hearted nature of Roy and HG’s radio show. He won the support of his former Queensland captain Jimmy Maher, who said the media reaction to the radio interview was over the top.”I just think we are getting a bit precious aren’t we? You’d swear he’d murdered someone the way some people are carrying on,” Maher told the . “It’s not that big a deal. He came out and apologised. anyway, it was a light-hearted radio gig. Roy and HG say those sort of things all the time, that’s the flavour of the show, it’s a bit of carry-on and he hasn’t meant anything by it.”

Former Everton star Michael Ball believes that Denis Zakaria would be a good signing for the club, provided they can secure him for a reasonable fee.

The Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder has been linked with a number of English clubs, including Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

Zakaria has been with the Bundesliga club since 2017 and has made a total of 128 appearances for them.

Reports have suggested that he was valued at over €40m (£34m) last summer but that price has appeared to drop, with the club cutting his asking price in half to £17m.

Ball believes that the fee is vital when it comes to any deal, and thinks that the club should only rubber-stamp the transfer if the asking price is as low as is being reported.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, the former Everton star said: “I think he was valued at around €40 million maybe 12 months or so ago. I think those fees are unrealistic for Everton but if they can get him for half the price, it could be a good one for the club.”

Zakaria is also a Switzerland international and played for his country at Euro 2020; in total, he has won 34 caps.

Jurgen Klopp and Michael Edwards believe that their replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum may already be present within the current squad, according to The Times’ Paul Joyce. 

Wijnaldum left Liverpool in the summer, as he pursued a move to French giants PSG on a free transfer ahead of the 2021/22 league campaign.

He’ll leave a sizeable void in the heart of the Liverpool team, with the Dutch international making 237 appearances in total for the Reds, which includes 51 from last year’s league campaign.

Jurgen Klopp’s side finished third in the Premier League table last term, and their supporters will be eager to see them find a suitable replacement for Wijnaldum to help improve on that finish.

But Joyce has stated that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has enjoyed his first uninterrupted pre-season since signing for the club back in 2017, and the club may opt to turn to players like the England international instead of a new signing.

Plenty of Liverpool supporters took to social media to react to this transfer update, with many of the Anfield faithful being left frustrated at the club’s reluctance to find a new signing in the transfer market this summer.

Take a look at the best of the reaction from The Anfield Talk Twitter account, who shared Joyce’s update….

Reds fans fume at transfer update

“Breaking: FSG won’t spend any money because they need money to buy new personalised yacht.”

Credit: @robert87478508

“Gini a player who never missed a game yeah, let’s replace him with Ox who’s renowned to having injuries every season. Yep smart.”

Credit: @_2306_YNWA

“Not impressed. Showed speed and enthusiasm, but very poor football-wise. lost every ball he touched, made very bad long balls, every pass put teammates in trouble. This is just not Liverpool quality.”

Credit: @SabihOmar

“No. Not good enough. Would not make any of our rivals teams.”

Credit: @robertsp

“This club will be the death of me.”

Credit: @Jambabox99

“Would be such an unnecessary risk. It is more likely that Keita and Ox will get injured than that they stay fit.”

Credit: @John92121476

“Embarrassing.”

Credit: @Dj67776349

“He can’t replace Gini’s availability.”

Credit: @Gambino_LFC

“I give up man.”

Credit: @ayxshxlfc

New Zealand’s fast bowlers wanted to get plenty of overs under their belts in their only tour match and they got their wish as Dominic Thornely and his New South Wales colleagues batted throughout the second day

Cricinfo staff14-Nov-2008
Scorecard
Iain O’Brien ended the day with 2 for 56 © Getty Images
New Zealand’s fast bowlers wanted to get plenty of overs under their belts in their only tour match and they got their wish as Dominic Thornely and his New South Wales colleagues batted throughout the second day. At stumps New South Wales had a lead of 43 and were 6 for 309, with the teenager Steven Smith on 47 and Daniel Smith on 5.It was a frustrating day for the New Zealanders, who lost Jesse Ryder to a mystery illness and Brendon McCullum to back spasms. Aaron Redmond took the gloves when McCullum failed to emerge after tea, although New Zealand’s manager Lindsay Crocker said resting McCullum was only a precautionary measure.”He’s had a bit of stiffness in the back for the last couple of days, and in that session he experienced a bit of a spasm in the back,” Crocker told . New Zealand are hopeful McCullum will be able to return to the four-day match and Gareth Hopkins, the squad’s backup gloveman, will still fly to Australia early next week as originally planned.To add to New Zealand’s woes they dropped four chances in the field and allowed three New South Wales batsmen to post half-centuries, in stark contrast to the one-man show from Jamie How on the first day. They picked up three wickets in the first session but the breakthroughs became less frequent later in the day as Thornely (85) and Steven Smith combined for a 101-run partnership.Thornely, the captain of a very youthful New South Wales side, was only carrying on the good work that had started with two of his young colleagues. Phillip Hughes, 19, continued his excellent start to the season and made a fluent 64 before he edged a wide delivery behind off Iain O’Brien.O’Brien was the most dangerous bowler early and before lunch he also picked up Peter Forrest, who was caught in the gully for 26. Chris Martin had already made a strike when he had Usman Khawaja caught behind for 5 and the visitors went to the first break with some momentum.But Moises Henriques, the allrounder who spent time with Australia’s squad in Darwin in September, began to show his potential with his first half-century at first-class level. Henriques struck six fours in his 55 before he edged to slip off Daniel Vettori.It was the only success for New Zealand in the middle session but a wicket each to Martin and Tim Southee provided slightly more joy after tea. At least the fast men, who did not have much opportunity to bowl in the recent Test series in Bangladesh, were getting a decent workout ahead of Thursday’s first Test in Brisbane.

RP Singh, Uttar Pradesh’s left-arm fast bowler, will miss the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Tamil Nadu due to a shoulder injury

Cricinfo staff02-Jan-2009
RP Singh will miss out on a huge opportunity to impress the national selectors © AFP
RP Singh, Uttar Pradesh’s left-arm fast bowler, will miss the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Tamil Nadu due to a shoulder injury. RP had missed the quarter-final against Gujarat as well due to a pulled muscle, and this is a further setback to his opportunities of impressing the national selectors.RP has played three games in the tournament so far, taking ten wickets at an average of 37.10. His absence will be a blow to UP against a strong Tamil Nadu batting line-up, but coach Gyanendra Pandey was confident of his team’s bowling resources even without RP.”We are confident of putting up a good show,” he told the . “It’s not that we lack in bowling in RP’s absence; we still have a good bowling attack and we won the last match without RP.”With RP not around, the team will depend heavily on Praveen Kumar, who took five wickets in the first innings against Gujarat, and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, who has been UP’s leading bowler with 23 wickets at an average of 22.21.The semi-final, which will be played in Nagpur, starts on Saturday.