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Steven Mangongo, the Zimbabwe Board XI coach, has stressed the need for more international four-day games for cricket to develop in the country

Cricinfo staff12-Sep-2008
Bornaparte Mujuru made a couple of substantial scores in the first-class matches © Cricinfo Ltd
Steven Mangongo, the Zimbabwe Board XI coach, has stressed the need for more international four-day games for cricket to develop in the country. His charges lost both four-day games and all three one-day matches against the visiting Pakistan Cricket Academy (PCA) recently after squandering the advantage on several occasions during the series.”It shows the boys are not experienced. When you get into strong positions you need guys that are experienced to kill off the game,” he told Zimbabwe’s . “Our guys don’t play enough longer-version games. The remedy here is to play more international four-day games. You must have consistency. If you only get to play again after six months it’s like you are starting afresh. We must be careful not to kill the momentum.”Mangongo was satisfied that both first-class matches went into the final day. “It shows that the boys can apply themselves. In the second game, we scored 300 runs plus in two innings after being bowled for less than 200 in the first,” he said. “In fact, we saw quite a few 50s from guys like Bornaparte [Mujuru], Timycen [Maruma], Regis [Chakabva] and Friday [Kasteni]. So you definitely can see on the graph that the boys are learning the demands of Test cricket.”One major difference between the PCA matches and previous home series was that the Zimbabwe Board XI side wasn’t packed with national team members, giving second-string players a taste of international cricket. “For a country to do well, you need variety. In the past we used to have national team players also playing in the A and Board XI sides. This tour was a positive change because almost all the guys were development players.”The other positive that Mangongo drew from the series was the performance of the bowlers in the one-dayers. “In all three games, we took out the top batsmen. In terms of strike bowling the boys did well,” he said. “What was disappointing was the batting, but in the last match we got into good positions twice. So there was improvement.”

A further twist has emerged in Matheus Pereira’s potential move away from West Bromwich Albion.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Ekrem Konur, with the journalist revealing on Twitter that the winger is now very close to joining West Ham United ahead of the new season. In his tweet, Konur said: “As of now, Matheus Pereira is very close to West Ham.”

Earlier reports had claimed that David Moyes’ side had made an offer of a season-long loan deal WHICH included an option to buy, although Albion informed the Premier League club that they wish to sell the Brazilian in order to raise funds for their own transfer business.

As a result, it was said that the Irons were considering returning to the negotiating table in order to submit a £15m cash bid for the 25-year-old, which could well have happened if Konur is to be believed.

Fans will be fuming

Considering just how important a part of the West Brom side Pereira has been in recent seasons, as well as it previously being reported that Albion were demanding a fee of £24m in order to part with the winger this summer, Baggies fans will undoubtedly be fuming if the club have indeed accepted an offer of just £15m.

Indeed, over his 33 Premier League appearances last season, the £13.5m-rated wizard bagged 11 goals, provided six assists and created 11 big chances for his teammates, along with averaging two shots and 1.8 key passes per match.

These returns saw the £30k-per-week forward dubbed a “genius” by his former coach Nate Weiss earn an average SofaScore match rating of 7.18, ranking him as Albion’s best player in the 2020/21 Premier League.

As such, while retaining the services of Pereira this summer would limit the Baggies’ transfer budget, it would also provide Valerien Ismael with a huge boost to his chances of going on to secure an immediate return to the Premier League at the first time of asking, something which is almost certainly a requirement for the Frenchman.

With it being reported that £15m may have been enough for Albion to sanction the sale of the Brazilian, the argument could easily be made that the club would have been better off keeping hold of the 25-year-old for one more year in order to give them the greatest chance of securing a return to the top flight, and the subsequent windfall that promotion would bring with it.

In other news: West Brom dealt major transfer blow over “athletic” 5ft 8 dynamo, fans will be fuming

The Woodworm Cricket Company today announced the signing of Andrew Flintoffand Muttiah Muralitharan

Woodworm16-Oct-2008The Woodworm Cricket Company today announced the signing of Andrew Flintoffand Muttiah Muralitharan. The signing of two such high-profile playersfollows a successful launch of the company in May 2002. In a sport renownedfor conservatism and tradition, the revolutionary new Woodworm Wand hasalready made a significant breakthrough and is now known by mostinternational cricketers.The Woodworm Cricket Company has removed what it calls a “vulnerable” partof the blade and has re-distributed the wood into a larger and heavierhitting zone. “Batsmen never intend to hit the ball off the area where wehave removed the wood – any such contact is inadvertent. The wood is muchbetter off in the right place,” says Woodworm’s founder and ManagingDirector, Joe Sillett. “The first thing everyone says about the WoodwormWand is how cool the bat looks.” “The second thing they say is how light thepick-up is.” “The third thing they say is does it work?” Sillett argues thatthe case is irrefutable. “Russel Arnold averages over 40 with the WoodwormWand and has enjoyed a terrific run of form recently in the VB series inAustralia. The Wisden UK School’s all-rounder of the year, Andries Kruger ofChrist’s Hospital School, scored 835 runs with the Woodworm Wand. It seemsto have received universal approval from all quarters.””I get emails from all over the world saying how impressed people are withthe new design.” “In our online survey, 85% of people said that cricket wascrying out for a new idea,” he added.In signing Flintoff, who is on track to be fit for the 2003 World Cup,Woodworm has signalled its intent to introduce a fresh buzz of excitementinto the game of cricket. Woodworm saw off the competition who all wanted tocapture Flintoff’s signature. “Freddie is the perfect embodiment of theWoodworm brand. He’s ebullient, competitive and has a big future,” saidSillett. Chubby Chandler, Flintoff’s agent of International SportsManagement agrees, “We manage a number of international cricketers who use arange of manufacturers’ products. When looking at the character of Freddieand the charisma of Woodworm, it was clear that it was the right brand forthe right player.”The signing of the Sri Lankan spin-king, Muttiah Muralitharan is also amarker for Woodworm’s global intentions. Sillett added, “Murali is a globalicon, recognised by cricket lovers everywhere. His enthusiasm is infectiousand we are thrilled to have him on board. He will be modelling a range ofWoodworm equipment, in particular the new Woodworm footwear which we arecurrently developing.”The Woodworm Cricket Company sells its patented Wand cricket bats inaddition to a complete range of cricket equipment. For more informationabout The Woodworm Cricket Company, please visitwww.woodworm.tv

West Ham United have been linked with a move for Corentin Tolisso this week…

What’s the word?

According to German outlet Sport1, the Irons are a potential destination for the Bayern Munich midfielder, with his contract set to expire at the end of the new season.

The 27-year-old is currently third or fourth choice in the engine room and could be sold if a viable replacement is found.

Serie A giants Juventus are also mooted with interest by the report, though it remains to be seen how much he would command. Transfermarkt currently value him at £18m.

Moyes masterclass

This would be the sort of signing which would put the Hammers on the map, especially after qualifying for the Europa League last season.

Tolisso has won a World Cup with France, has four Bundesliga titles and a Champions League winner’s medal amongst many more accolades, and this sort of experience is lacking in David Moyes’ current squad.

Furthermore, the 58-year-old is crying out for some reinforcements, particularly in the engine room, where he is only one injury to Declan Rice or Tomas Soucek away from having to call upon the retiring Mark Noble.

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Injuries have seen Tolisso struggle for game time in recent seasons, particularly during 2020/21, where he only started 12 games for the German giants.

However, that doesn’t detract from his overall quality as he still was called up for Didier Deschamps’ Euro 2020 squad, where he played in three of France’s four games.

The Bayern star has been said to be a “bit like [Toni] Kroos in terms of his style of play” by former striker Jean-Pierre Papin, whilst Tolisso himself has claimed to model his game on players like ex-Hammers midfielder Frank Lampard and Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard.

Overall, the Frenchman has the capability to be a mouthwatering box-to-box option for the Hammers. “He’s very dangerous in front of the goal,” suggested former Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

If Moyes can pull this one over the line, then it would certainly be the next stellar signing to go alongside the likes of Soucek, Vladimir Coufal and Jesse Lingard since his return to the London Stadium.

GSB must look to seal Tolisso before the deadline.

AND in other news, Moyes can seal another bargain as West Ham “in talks” to sign “fearless” 28-cap titan…

Ex-Rangers star Michael Ball believes that the Glasgow giants are favourites to sign Joey Veerman from Heerenveen.

There has been plenty of speculation surrounding Veerman and his future with current side Heerenveen this summer, with the Scottish Sun reporting on Monday that Rangers have been given a massive boost in their pursuit of the player. Another interested party, Feyenoord, have signed Fredrik Aursnes from Molde, which could see them out of the race for Veerman.

The 22-year-old was involved in 20 goals combined last season, scoring nine and assisting 11 which has seen interest in his signature.

Former Ger Ball believes that Rangers are favourites to sign Veerman, telling Football FanCast: “Yeah, there’s been a lot of noise about Joey and I think maybe one or two other clubs are sort of sneaking around, but Rangers seem to be the favourites.”

According to the Scottish Sun report, Heerenveen have set an asking price of £8m for Veerman and with three years left on his current deal the Eredivisie outfit don’t have to rush to sell their star player.

Whilst Rangers appear to be in pole position to sign Veerman should they wish to with Feyenoord possibly out the equation, it could be more good news for the Gers, as Glen Kamara could be set to extend his stay at Ibrox, with the club offering the midfielder a new deal.

On the new contract offer for Kamara, manager Steven Gerrard told the BBC: “I love the kid, I love the player and I’ve made it abundantly clear how much I want him to stay from a personal point of view.”

Anjum Chopra is keen to make a new beginning in the Challenger Series and hopes to make it to the national side with the new selection committee taking office

Nishi Narayanan30-Sep-2008
Back in business: Anjum Chopra hopes to make a new beginning with the India B squad in the upcoming Challenger Series after last playing for India back in February 2007 © Getty Images
Anjum Chopra, the Indian batsman, hopes for a new beginning with the national side now that the women’s selection committee has changed just before the tour of Australia starting October 28. She said “personal grudges” had derailed her international career in the last year and a half and she was optimistic that a strong performance in the Challenger Series, starting Thursday, would earn her a recall to the Indian team.”I was kept out due to non-cricketing reasons,” Chopra, who last played for India in an ODI against England in Chennai in the Quadrangular Series in February 2007, told Cricinfo. “To go through that experience was really sad because I was never told why I was dropped. Somebody needs to come and tell me what I am doing wrong.”I have played alongside the members of the former selection committee for years but they couldn’t tell me why I was dropped. I have complete faith in the new committee and really hope I am given a fair trial because I know I deserve to be in the Indian team.”The BCCI appointed a new selection committee, headed by the former Indian batsman Sandhya Agarwal, in the annual general body meeting three days ago.Anju Jain, the former chairman of selectors, justified Chopra’s absence from the squad for the ODIs in England in August and September due to her poor form. Jain told Cricinfo the selectors wanted to pick a squad which had a balance of experienced and young players.Chopra rejected the reasons for being dropped and said her form could not be judged since she hadn’t played since last February. “Youth can give you energy not experience,” Chopra said. “The reason why Mithali [Raj] was the only batsman who succeeded in England was because she has the experience and knowledge of the conditions. It was heartening to see her bat and she said herself that all she needed was support at the other end.” India lost 4-0 to England in the five-match series.”Taunton is my favourite hunting ground and it was really sad to see India lose there.” Chopra achieved her highest Test score of 98 at the venue and she averages over 50 in the longer version there.India played two matches in Taunton in the series against England: they were bowled out for 102 in the first and managed only 126 for 2 in 35.2 overs in the second.Chopra said she had been practising hard for the Challenger Series, playing in Delhi and Mumbai, and was determined to give the tournament her best shot. She was also looking ahead to the Australia tour and said the bounce and humidity would be the factors that India will have to counter there.The Challenger Series includes three teams – India Senior, India A and India B – and will be played over four days in Ahmedabad. Chopra is part of the India B squad led by the medium-pacer Amita Sharma.

England touched down in Mumbai yesterday after a long flight from Antigua, via London, and their captain, Kevin Pietersen, was under no illusions that their tour of India is going to be a tough assignment

Nagraj Gollapudi in Mumbai07-Nov-2008
Kevin Pietersen and his team arrived in Mumbai on Thursday © AFP
England touched down in Mumbai yesterday after a long flight from Antigua, via London, and their captain, Kevin Pietersen, was under no illusions that their tour of India is going to be a tough assignment.”This series is going to be very difficult. Coming to India is tough. Beating India in India is tough. We drew the Test series last time but we got smashed 5-1 in the ODIs. We are just looking to improve,” Pietersen said at a media briefing, at the Cricket Club of India, before the team’s first practice session.Pietersen, the highest-scorer in the one-day series on England’s last tour of India in 2006, said to do well against India they needed to break the confidence of the hosts, which has been high since Mahendra Singh Dhoni became captain.”He [Dhoni] is a free customer when he goes out. He doesn’t get too emotionally wound up by the look of things,” Pietersen said. “At the end of the day the players who play with him just want to do well. In terms of his captaincy he oozes confidence in the dressing room. We just need to try and keep that confidence down.”Yet Pietersen was not willing to call England the underdogs. Behind his own confidence was England’s 4-0 one-day win over South Africa last summer, their most convincing limited-overs performance in recent times.Sehwag new vice-captainVirender Sehwag has been named India vice-captain for the forthcoming ODI and Test home series against England. Sehwag takes over as vice-captain of the Test team from MS Dhoni, who is now India’s ODI and Test leader following the retirement of Anil Kumble.Yuvraj Singh was India’s ODI vice-captain during their last series in Sri Lanka. But this time, it was felt that Sehwag was a better candidate to ensure “continuity in decision-making” as he commands a place in both Tests and ODI sides. Yuvraj has been named in the India side for the first three ODIs against England, but is yet to cement his place in the Test team.”We would have won 5-0 had it not rained in the final ODI in Cardiff. To beat South Africa 4-0, it’s something we haven’t done before. We are learning how to win.”Though England have hardly had a break since the Stanford Super Series in Antigua less than a week ago, they are far from jaded. According to Peter Moores, their coach, the Stanford games are now history. More importantly, Moores wants his team to perform in a similar fashion to the South Africa series.”The key is to get consistent runs and our batters have to fire. That was one thing that worked very well against South Africa,” Moores said. “With the extra pace of Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff and the bounce that they can create from their height it gives us a chance to take wickets in the middle. That could be really important.”Steve is in a real good place. He is bowling very well. Even in the Stanford game, with all the pressure on, his first over was a great over. He’s had a fantastic season in England and played well for Durham as they won the County Championship.”Moores admitted that Sachin Tendulkar not being part of the Indian squad for the first three ODIs was a “bit of a bonus”. But, like his captain, he too singled out Dhoni as the dangerman.England already have an injury concern to deal with, as Ryan Sidebottom is yet to recover completely from an calf injury he picked up in Antigua. The first of seven ODIs gets underway on November 14 in Rajkot.

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has dropped a new Aston Villa transfer update, and it’s one that will delight fans.

What’s the story?

Despite Jack Grealish’s recent departure to Premier League champions Manchester City, Dean Smith’s side have enjoyed an impressive transfer window thus far, bringing in a number of high-profile signings.

One area that they have yet to significantly strengthen however, is in the engine room, with Villa having seen a bid for Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse turned down.

And while Preece admitted that a move for the Saints play-maker is unlikely to come to fruition, he did deliver an exciting update on Villa’s pursuit for a new midfielder.

He said: “Villa are, though, expected to add one more to their central midfield of John McGinn, Morgan Sanson, Jacob Ramsey, Marvelous Nakamba, Douglas Luiz and Carney Chukwuemeka, while it’s fully expected Conor Hourihane will move onto pastures new once Villa land a new arrival.”

Fans will be buzzing

As Preece himself says, bringing in a new central midfielder is something Smith desperately needs, and it could have a major impact on the team.

He said: “Given Villa’s new-look 4-4-2 system, having another defensive-minded midfielder in there makes complete sense knowing Dean Smith wants to be bold at the front end of the pitch with Buendia, Bailey, Ings, Ollie Watkins, Bertrand Traore and others.”

Last season saw the club rely on Douglas Luiz and John McGinn as the main duo in the engine room, but neither are quite the tough-tackling anchormen that can hold down the fort and allow Villa’s talented crop of forwards to really shine – the duo both averaged far less than two tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game in the Premier League last season.

Bringing in a midfield enforcer, much like Cheick Doucoure – someone who appears to be far better than Villa’s most natural holding option in Marvelous Nakamba – could give the Midlands side some much-needed protection in front of the back-four and allow the attack to flourish a bit more.

It’s exactly why Preece’s latest claim that the club are “expected” to bring one more into the midfield area is one that will have fans buzzing.

Meanwhile, Villa could sign a major Nakamba upgrade in this star…

Kevin Phillips has offered his thoughts on Everton’s interest in Newcastle dud Sean Longstaff.

What’s the talk?

Former Premier League striker Kevin Phillips has questioned why Everton are, reportedly, looking to sign Sean Longstaff from Newcastle. The retired forward does not believe that the Toffees need him in their squad this season.

He told Football Insider:

“Do I think Everton need him? Possibly not.

“Longstaff hasn’t played loads of Premier League games but he does have that experience.

“From Newcastle’s point of view, he doesn’t play that often and it could be great business to move him on. It would free up a wage for Bruce to get someone with a bit more experience.

“I’m surprised Benitez is in for him but he obviously likes him and Longstaff played well under him. It’s a surprising one, I’m not sure Everton need him.”

No better than Davies

Marcel Brands must avoid a howler with Longstaff this month. Put simply, Everton should not be looking at a deal for the Newcastle outcast at all. He is not an upgrade on their starting XI and he is not an improvement on the back-up options Rafa Benitez already has.

Last season, Tom Davies made 25 appearances in the Premier League – 17 starts – as a rotation player for Carlo Ancelotti. He averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.46 whilst making 2.6 tackles and interceptions per game in midfield.

Longstaff, meanwhile, played 23 matches for Newcastle in the league. The Toon academy product averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.36, making 2.3 tackles and interceptions per game.

Given they both played a similar role for their respective clubs in the same position in the Premier League, it seems fair to directly compare them. Davies, on paper, appears to be the better option out of the pair and that means that Longstaff would not come in and make Benitez’s squad better.

Last year, the midfielder said that criticism over his performances baffled him, saying: “At times, it’s probably been a bit surprising. It’s something you have to take in your stride and enjoy.

“I hold myself to those high standards, so I’ve got no problem with everyone else doing that as well. I’ve still got people around me helping me, trying to get me to where I want to be.

“I’m still enjoying it, and it’s just about staying at an even keel and I know that, ultimately, I’ll get to where I want to be.”

This suggests that the £18k-per-week dud is not willing to accept that his performances were below par, given that he found criticism surprising and his statistics for the Magpies were unimpressive. Therefore, given he does not appear to be an upgrade on Davies, Everton must avoid bringing him in this summer.

AND in other news, Everton make contact for “tremendous” 6 ft 3 machine, Benitez would love him…

A nervous ECB is to keep tabs on the developing security situation at India’s airports as the England squad fly out to Abu Dhabi to prepare for their two Tests in Chennai and Mohali

Cricinfo staff04-Dec-2008
Kevin Pietersen: all set to lead his team into India … assuming the security report gives the all-clear © Getty Images
A nervous ECB is to keep tabs on the developing security situation at India’s airports as the England squad fly out to Abu Dhabi to prepare for their two Tests in Chennai and Mohali.Major airports in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai have been put on high alert after reports they had received threats of attacks by hijacked aircraft, adding to the tense atmosphere surrounding the future of the tour.”Obviously we’re concerned, but what we need to do is find out the information,” said Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket, at Heathrow airport ahead of the squad’s departure for the Middle East. “I’ve spoken to the security team in Chennai this morning already to find out exactly what the situation is with the alerts. When we get that information it’ll be fed back to me, to the board and form part of the security audit that we’re undertaking.”We feel as though going to Abu Dhabi provides us with practice before the first Test match, and it also gives us some more time to implement our security plans on the ground – they are in Chennai at the moment – and that is how we’re proceeding.”Kevin Pietersen, the England captain, said he’d seen news of the airport situation this morning but insisted he was concentrating on the Test series. “It’ll buy us some more time in Abu Dhabi and I think it’s fantastic that we’re going to demonstrate in India that we’re showing our support to play Test match cricket. I think it’s very important we go and rub shoulder to shoulder with the indian people in their time of need, and I’m very confident that we have 15 lads who will be playing Test cricket next week.”Nevertheless, Pietersen conceded that the tour was not yet set in stone, and warned that the team could yet turn on its heel and fly back to England if the all-important security report did not give them the all-clear. Hugh and Sean Morris, the chief executive of the Professional Cricketers’ Association, are flying straight to India to meet up with Reg Dickason, the ECB security advisor, who has been assessing the venues in recent days. They are then due to meet the England squad in Abu Dhabi on Sunday to deliver a final security report, at which point the decision will be made as to whether to proceed to India.”I think there’s a collective at the moment,” Pietersen said. “The guys that go out there now are waiting on the reports from Hugh, Sean and Reg to come back to us on Sunday night, and if there are any major catastrophes, or alarm bells ringing, Hugh will be ringing the board to say the collective decision is to come home.”Such a prospect would be anathema to the ECB, who have been eager for this tour to resume ever since the one-day series was hastily postponed, but Hugh Morris – who engineered last week’s break – said: “The one thing we don’t want to do is twist someone’s arm up their back.”Over the next couple of days we’ll be collecting absolutely up-to-date information and presenting that to the players,” said Morris. “I would like to think if our security team came back and said it was safe and secure, we would all go over there. If the situation isn’t safe and secure, I’ll be making a call to the board. The board have made it very clear that the safety and security of the team is of paramount importance.”For the time being, a full England squad has been named despite speculation that a number of players would pull out and Pietersen said time at home helped everyone come to their decision.”Everyone has become a lot more open-minded, spoken to family members, and realise that it’s pretty huge to go back at India’s time of need. The boys want to go and play Test cricket. I’m very confident that if everything goes according to plan we’ll have a full squad to pick from.”