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A scrutiny committee constituted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has granted voting rights to 38 clubs ahead of the May 2 elections of the Islamabad Cricket Association

26-Apr-2002A scrutiny committee constituted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has granted voting rights to 38 clubs ahead of the May 2 elections of the Islamabad Cricket Association.The committee, headed by Brig (Retd) Khawaja Muhammad Nasir with Brig (Retd) Iqbal Awan and Ahmed Shahzad Farooq, legal consultant to the PCB as members, completed the task Thursday,The following clubs have been given the right to vote:I-9, Galaxy, King’s Gymkhana, Federal Gymkhana, Nurpur, Imran Memorial, Diamond, Muslim, Classic, Azam, All-Youngster, Punjab, Mehran, Al-Muslim, XI Star, Young Capital, Youngster, Islamabad Hawks, Majid Memorial, Millat, Asif Memorial, Najamul Hasan, Hasan Memorial, Services, Lucky Star, CRA (Community Centre), CRA (Away), Prince, Essco, National, Evans, Shaheen, Islamabad Gymkhana, Ismail, Shalimar, Al-Fateh, Rawal Town, Model Town Gymkhana.Meanwhile, five candidates -Ishaq Bhatti, Shakil Shaikh, Sardar Khan, Zahid Maqbool and KM Mustafa, are running for the post of president. Usman Saeed, Nishat Kazi, Irfan Manzur and Muhammad Yousuf are contesting for the secretary’s slot while Ehsan Asghar, Muhammad Hanif and M. Amir Siddique are for the treasurer’s post.Candidates have a right to withdraw their papers two days before the election.

Lee Bowyer believes that the Birmingham City owners are aware of his desire for steady progress in the Championship.

What’s been said?

In a recent interview, the Blues boss insisted that the club’s Trillion Trophy Asia owners accept the fact that progress under him will be steady rather than spectacular ahead of his first full season in charge at St. Andrew’s, as the 44-year-old looks to gradually rebuild his Birmingham City squad this summer.

As cited by Birmingham Live, Bowyer said: “I think they recognise what has happened at the club the last few years and what position – taking this year out obviously, being in relegation battles for the last few years.

“They recognise it’s not that simple, it’s like a stepping stone. You have to build slowly but surely and that’s what I intend to do. I am not going to go now from 15th or 16th and then climb into the top six. It is going to be very difficult.

“If we can just maybe next season get mid-table then progress from there, that’s my aim – just stay away from that relegation fight. Then you move from there.

“Then it might be ‘OK we might invest a little bit more’. Looking to the future they might then think ‘We’ll invest a little bit more’ and then we might have a push and try and get in and around those play-off places.

“You have got to become stable, haven’t you? I think we have got to stabilise the place because to keep having those relegation fights is not good. If we can stabilise and just finish higher each season then you are moving in the right direction as a club.”

Fans will be buzzing

As Bowyer states, the last few years have not particularly been a highlight of Birmingham’s illustrious history as a football club.

Having circled the Championship relegation zone in the past five seasons – finishing 19th, 19th, 17th, 20th and 18th in chronological order – it is clear that the Blues have lacked any real tactical direction under a variety of different managers.

Off the pitch, too, Birmingham’s owners have largely bought unwisely in the transfer market, spending a total of £43.62m in the last five seasons on incoming players – money that, considering the league finishes, has brought very little reward.

As a result of their spending on transfer fees and player wages, the club’s owners also were found guilty of breaking the EFL’s Financial Fair Play rules back in 2019, with Birmingham receiving a nine-point deduction, as well as having a business plan imposed on them by the league’s governing body.

As such, Bowyer’s comments revealing that Trillion Trophy Asia are content with him building the club back up slowly in order to eventually mount a push for a play-off place is likely to leave fans of the Blues buzzing, as, for the first time in a good while, it appears as if the club has a manager with a sustainable plan for Birmingham’s long-term future – rather than one chasing immediate glory, and he’s set to be allowed to carry out that plan by the board.

In other news: BCFC dealt huge transfer blow over “phenomenal” 24 y/o dynamo, Bowyer will be gutted – opinion

The England football team might have thrown away a winning position in Japan, but the country’s cricketers made no mistake at Edgbaston after bursting through what had been stubborn Sri Lankan resistance with the new ball after lunch on the fourth

Ralph Dellor02-Jun-2002The England football team might have thrown away a winning position in Japan, but the country’s cricketers made no mistake at Edgbaston after bursting through what had been stubborn Sri Lankan resistance with the new ball after lunch on the fourth day. An interval score of 225 for four became 272 all out within 51 balls of the new ball being taken as Matthew Hoggard and Andrew Caddick used the humid conditions to make the ball swing and rip through the batting order.The day had begun with Marvan Atapattu and Mahela Jayawardene continuing their overnight partnership. The general feeling was that their dismissal would signal the end for Sri Lanka, but that was by no means what happened. Atapattu was in resolute mood and such a frame of mind could have contributed to his downfall as, in the third over of the day, he decided not to play at a ball outside off stump that he might have otherwise attacked. The decision to leave came late and he dragged the ball onto his stumps as he tried to take his bat out of the line.Jayawardene went past fifty by playing some quality shots, particularly through the off side. He got a good one from Caddick, however, that he edged to first slip where it was taken low down by Graham Thorpe.There was a forecast of thundery showers for later in the day. With humidityrising and clouds gathering, and with Aravinda de Silva and Hashan Tillakaratne batting with a certain ease, England would have regarded the after-lunch session when the new ball became due as being crucial. The bowlers did not let them down.It was Caddick who set the trend. With the sixth delivery using the new ball, he produced a swinging yorker to account for Tillakaratne. With the first ball of his next over, Caddick squared up de Silva to have him caught at slip by Thorpe. From the other end, Hoggard induced Russel Arnold to drive to Ashley Giles at mid-off and, two balls later, bowled Charitha Buddika for nought.Chaminda Vaas came in with bat flailing. He did so with some effect, hammering Hoggard for six and four and forcing Nasser Hussain to bring back Giles to pose some more searching questions, even though the new ball was only eight overs old. After an innings of 28 at a run-a-ball, Vaas was stumped for 28 and with Muttiah Muralitharan deciding against batting with his injured shoulder, England had won by an innings and 111 runs.England went to Old Trafford one-up last year against Pakistan and finishedwith the series all-square. They went to Auckland one-nil up against New Zealand and lost to leave the series drawn. The footballers were one-nil up in Japan and drew one-all. The England cricketers will be hoping they can hang on until the final whistle this time – even with Muralitharan likely to be even more of a handful in conditions that will suit him that much better at his adopted home ground in Manchester.

Former West Ham striker Brian Deane has expressed his doubts over Declan Rice moving to Chelsea this summer, unsure where he would fit in in Thomas Tuchel’s Champions League-winning side.

Following Frank Lampard’s sacking back in January, Chelsea’s interest in Rice seemed to have cooled. However, according to The Telegraph, Tuchel is a fan of the player and the west London club could now revive their interest in the midfielder.

A deal will not be cheap, with the same report claiming the Hammers’ asking price is £90m. But, even so, the reliable Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Rice is still firmly on Chelsea’s radar.

Deane, though, has questioned where the 22-year-old would exactly play given the options Tuchel already has, which includes N’Golo Kante.

“For me, it depends where they’re going to play him because Kante is the best player in that position in the world,” the ex-West Ham forward exclusively told FFC.

“I couldn’t believe when Frank Lampard was the manager that he was playing Kante wide of a three midfield. He’s got more energy than I’ve seen any time from anybody, so that was surprising to me.

“If they bring him [Rice] in, are they bringing him in to compete with him [Kante]? Are they going to play two holding midfielders? I don’t know.”

Whatever the case, at £90m, you would expect Tuchel to find somewhere for Rice to play.

That being said, there is nothing yet to suggest Chelsea would be willing to pay that kind of money, while there has been a lot of talk about the newly-crowned European champions looking at alternatives. So there is probably no need for West Ham fans to hit the panic button yet.

Warwickshire recovered from losing skipper Michael Powell for a duck to reach 84 for one at lunch after winning the toss against the Frizzell County Championship leaders Leicestershire

Stephen Lamb12-Jun-2002Warwickshire recovered from losing skipper Michael Powell for a duck to reach 295 for four after winning the toss against the Frizzell County Championship leaders Leicestershire. Phil DeFreitas had Powell caught by Darren Stevens, but Ian Bell (72) and Nick Knight (47) steadied the ship. Dominic Ostler then made 81 and Jamie Troughton an unbeaten 65 to take the home side to an impressive total by stumps.There was a landslide of wickets after the first session of play was lost to rain at The Oval. After putting Kent in Surrey bowled them out for 153, with Martin Bicknell taking six for 42 and James Ormond three for 56. Paul Nixon made a battling 54 for the visitors. Surrey found life no easier when they batted, although a swashbuckling, unbeaten 49 from Ally Brown helped them to 111 for five at the close.Sussex recovered from a poor start against Yorkshire at Headingley, after being reduced to 70 for four in the first session. A stand of 191 between Timothy Ambrose (146*) and Matthew Prior (83) took the visitors to 375 for six after they were put in this morning.After a delayed start at Bath, Hampshire ended the day on 149 for three after being put in by Somerset. William Kendall was the mainstay for the visitors, with an unbeaten 70, and there were two wickets for Simon Francis.In Division Two, Nottinghamshire captain Jason Gallian’s decision to bat first at Trent Bridge against Division Two leaders Derbyshire paid handsome dividends. Notts were bowled out for 393, with Paul Johnson making 96, Nicky Boje 84 and Gallian himself 69. Derbyshire closed on 18 without loss.Ronnie Irani continued his sparkling run of form as Essex fought back from 22 for three after being put in to bat by Northamptonshire at Ilford. William Jefferson (59) and Andy Flower (85) initiated the revival, which was completed by an unbeaten 121 from the Essex skipper. The hosts ended the day on 322 for five.Nicholas Hatch took three wickets for Durham after another delayed start at Chester-le-Street. Worcestershire, after winning the toss, were reduced at one point to 90 for five, but David Leatherdale (32*) and Gareth Batty (27*) had pulled them back from the abyss by the close, when they were 153 for five.There was no play on day one between Middlesex and Glamorgan at Lord’s, where the outfield was waterlogged.

According to a report by Anfield Central, West Ham United have now made a fresh approach to sign Liverpool attacker Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The Lowdown: The Ox and the Hammers…

The Englishman has recently been linked with a move to east London following a frustrating season under Jurgen Klopp on Merseyside.

Oxlade-Chamberlain spent a large portion of the 2020/2021 campaign out through injury and the second half only featuring sporadically in midfield.

News then emerged of GSB’s interest in the former Arsenal star as manager David Moyes aims to bolster the squad for next season.

The Irons will need more strength in depth, especially as they enter the Europa League group stages for 2021/2022.

The Latest: GSB have now made fresh approach…

As per Anfield Central, the Hammers have now made a fresh approach to sign Oxlade-Chamberlain for next season – but Liverpool have taken a firm stance.

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According to the outlet, Klopp and co do not want to sell the 27-year-old and will only do so if the player himself asks to leave Merseyside.

Moyes is said to be an admirer of Oxlade-Chamberlain and believes the £120,000-per-week attacker can succeed at West Ham.

Alas, as it stands, this report indicates that Liverpool will fight tooth and nail to keep him.

The Verdict: Not a priority…

While Oxlade-Chamberlain is arguably a proven player in the Premier League and still has plenty of years before his sell-by date, Moyes should have other priorities this summer.

Among them, signing a new centre-forward and completing a permanent deal for Jesse Lingard should be taking precedent.

The ex-Southampton man could prove useful for Moyes given he can play on both wings or in midfield, but he certainly shouldn’t be at the forefront of West Ham’s plans.

Lauded as an ‘outstanding player’ by Klopp, however, it will be interesting to see how this unfolds over the summer if GSB and co decide to take a risk on the injury prone but talented ace.

In other news: GSB willing to pay over £20m as West Ham enter advanced player talks, find out more here.

With Bruno Lage succeeding Nuno Santo at Wolves, he cannot afford to rest with the transfer window now in full swing.

Wolves face a summer of departures and insignificant spending so it might not be the easiest of starts for the new manager.

On the chalkboard

The biggest threat to the Wolves side is a departure for Ruben Neves.

Signed for a Championship record fee in 2017, the Portuguese midfielder took his game to an incredible level under Nuno.

Manchester City were linked with his services and now Arsenal are interested in securing Neves for a fee of around £35m.

It’s thought the midfielder is one of Wolves’ most sellable assets as they strive for extra cash in a bid to improve their squad.

Samu Costa to Wolves?

One player Lage could bring to the Midlands in order to replace Neves is Samu Costa.

According to A Bola, Wolves are already in talks to sign the 20-year-old from Braga.

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This feels like a typical transfer link for the Old Gold. He is Portuguese and a client of Jorge Mendes, somebody who enjoys a fantastic relationship with Fosun.

Costa also fits the bill for how Wolves want to progress players. He is young and has enormous potential after starring in the second tier of Spanish football last year.

A defensive midfielder by trade, he is following a similar path to Neves; stand out in the lower tiers before making your move to the top-flight.

Costa is a robust individual and picked up a mighty haul of 15 yellow cards this term. He may lack a sense of discipline but his defensive numbers are impressive.

During the 2020/21 season, the youngster produced 1.8 interceptions and one tackle per 90 minutes.

Neves won over two tackles per 90 but his interceptions of 1.5 are actually lower than Costa’s.

Possessing a wonderful reading of the game, the 6-foot midfielder could more than fill the void left behind by Neves.

He doesn’t have a goal-scoring habit but his shot on target rate (28.6%) is higher than the Wolves star. With that in mind, Lage could train him to be more offensive if required.

Wolves will have to pay €25m (£21.5m) to sign but very rarely has a price tag deterred the Midlands side when it’s come to a young player. His tackle rate implies he’s a beast in the defensive third; that’s exactly what Lage will need.

AND in other news, Lage could become an instant hit if Wolves sign “spectacular” £34.5m Mendes client…

New Zealand’s women cricketers head to Europe on Friday looking to push the boundaries that led to their World Cup success in 2000

Lynn McConnell19-Jun-2002
New Zealand looking to develop to match speed of Haidee Tiffen between wickets
Photograph © PhotosportNew Zealand’s women cricketers head to Europe on Friday looking to push the boundaries that led to their World Cup success in 2000.The TelstraClear White Ferns have undergone significant personnel changes and the tour which takes in the Netherlands, Ireland and England will be the first extended chance the team management have had to put their team through their paces in playing conditions.After last year’s tour of India was cancelled in the wake of the September 11 hijackings in the United States, there was a short tour of Australia and a home series against Australia.But this tour represents a much better chance to set in train the re-development of the side for the World Cup defence in 2005.Team coach Mike Shrimpton said huge emphasis had been put on fitness in the lead-up to the tour with personal trainer Sarah Helmore travelling around the country ensuring players were doing their required work to build endurance and speed.”We really want to play the game fast, and at significant speed. We want more speed between the wickets, and inside the fielding circle in both fielding and throwing the ball,” he said.The new group of players being taken on the tour were all athletes and were capable of taking the game where New Zealand want to.”Some of the younger players think they are going to the next Olympics and there was some initial resistance to the programme from more experienced players who have not been used to being hurried along by a fitness trainer,” he said.Shrimpton said there had been “huge disappointment” with the cancellation of the tour to India last year and that had resulted in a lull in effort over the last summer which he put down to being a reflected disappointment.”But they are really looking forward to this tour,” he said.Shrimpton said that the first six games, three against the Netherlands and three against Ireland, would allow him to place one or two players outside their usual comfort zones.”I will look to bat or bowl them outside the areas they are used to, and on some of the days players other than tour captain Emily Drumm will lead the side in order to build up the leadership component in the side.”When we then get to the more competitive matches against England and India in the tri-series, that should allow us some more flexibility in our game plans,” he said.Shrimpton said one of the under-emphasised areas in the women’s game was the fielding and he felt the standards of the side had dropped below the high levels achieved in the CricInfo Women’s World Cup where New Zealand’s fielding ultimately carried it to victory.He also wants to develop the middle stages of the game and to get more batsmen showing the sort of speed between the wickets that Haidee Tiffen has shown and he is encouraged by the fact that Sara McGlashan and Fiona Fraser are two players who have shown the speed to match Tiffen.”It is all part of wanting to develop a more attacking game,” he said.The team leaves New Zealand on Friday and play their first game, against the Netherlands on Tuesday at Utrecht. They play again on Wednesday and finish that leg of the tour on Friday.The following Monday they play Ireland in Dublin with more games on Wednesday, July 3 and Saturday, July 6.The tri-series with England and India starts on July 10 with England and India playing the first game in Jersey. The following day, New Zealand play India and on Friday England play New Zealand.Teams then move to Durham where England play New Zealand on Tuesday, July 16. On the following day India play New Zealand, then on the Friday, England play India, with the series final on Saturday, July 20.The TelstraClear White Ferns are: Emily Drumm (captain, Auckland), Kathryn Ramel (vice-captain, Auckland), Nicola Browne (Northern Districts), Anna Corbin (Wellington), Fiona Fraser (Canterbury), Frances King (Wellington), Sara McGlashan (Central Districts), Aimee Mason (Central Districts), Louise Milliken (Northern Districts), Nicola Payne (Canterbury), Kate Pulford (Central Districts), Rachel Pullar (Otago), Rebecca Rolls (Auckland), Haidee Tiffen (Canterbury).

West Ham United have been dealt a devastating blow in their bid to sign Jesse Lingard permanently…

What’s the word?

According to The Sun, the 28-year-old midfielder has told parent club Manchester United that he wants to stay at the club this summer following a candid meeting with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The Hammers are desperate to sign the 29-cap England international permanently after a very successful half-season loan spell, where his nine goals and five assists saw him go from a forgotten outcast to being back in Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions squad.

Whilst Lingard hasn’t completely ruled out a return to the London Stadium, it’s claimed that he would like to stay in the northwest.

Huge blow

This will come as a major setback to many in East London.

There have previously been reports suggesting that the £20m-rated midfielder was keen on returning to West Ham this transfer window but these fresh developments add a worrying twist to the saga.

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Following the final game of the season – a win over Southampton that secured a place in the Europa League – Irons boss David Moyes revealed his intentions over Lingard.

“I hope Jesse’s here, we’d like to keep him, he’s done an exceptional job for us but there’s no guarantees, he’s not our player,” the 58-year-old claimed, via the Evening Standard. “But I hope Jesse realises we’ve been good for him as well, and that he joined a club on the up.”He’ll certainly be gutted by this update.The Hammers faithful will undoubtedly be feeling the same way, too.When Lingard arrived for England duty last week, he was seen with a West Ham themed bag, which sent many supporters into raptures and you’ll struggle to find someone who doesn’t want him to stay after his lucrative exploits on the pitch.Therefore, this latest claim from The Sun will surely be received in a devastating fashion for the fans and Moyes too.

AND in other news, Moyes could deliver another West Ham masterclass amid big ExWHUemployee transfer claim…

England and India will host the next two ICC Champions Trophy’s, accordingto Malcom Speed, Chief Executive of the International Cricket Council (ICC)

Charlie Austin23-Jul-2002England and India will host the next two ICC Champions Trophy’s, accordingto Malcom Speed, Chief Executive of the International Cricket Council (ICC).Speed, speaking at the launch of the ICC Champions Trophy 2002, which is tobe staged in Sri Lanka, confirmed that England would be the hosting countryin 2004, with India holding it in 2006.This year’s ICC Champions Trophy, formerly known as the ICC Knockout, whichwill be the third of its kind after earlier tournaments in Bangladesh 1998and Kenya 2000.Both those tournaments were straight knockout events – this time the tenTest nations plus Holland and Kenya will be spilt into four groups of threewith each team guaranteed a minimum of three games.The winner of each group will progress straight into the semi-finals.There will be 15 games in just 18 days with all the matches being played atColombo’s two premier venues: Sinhalese Sports Club and PremadasaInternational Stadium.Sri Lanka and Pakistan will kick off the tournament when they take on eachother under lights on September 12.”Every Test playing country is committed to sending their strongest teams tothe ICC Champions Trophy and this gives Sri Lankan fans the chance to seetheir hometown heroes take on the best players in the world,” said Speed.This year’s tournament will also see the wider use of technology, withumpires able to refer all decisions, including lbw appeals, to thetelevision umpire.The ICC are using the event as an experiment, trying to ascertain whether agreater use of technology will improve decision making without undulyslowing the game.”The ICC is going about it with an open mind,” said Speed. “We don’t want tomake the umpires robots, but are offering them the best use of technology toassist them in their decision making. Everyone wants to see that the rightdecisions are made. If it is not successful we will discontinue it.”The ICC hopes that all television decisions will be made within 20 seconds.The ICC Champions Trophy plays a pivotal role in the development of the gameby raising funds through the sale of media and sponsorship rights.The last tournament in Kenya raised US $ 13 million and the ICC areconfidant this will be surpassed this year, providing valuable funds for theglobalisation of the game.