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Cricket Australia has reiterated its preference to have the proposed tour of Pakistan staged in the country itself, after reports claimed that the PCB was planning to stage the postponed series, originally scheduled for March 2008, in Kuala Lumpur.

Cricinfo staff04-Jan-2009
Pakistan are scheduled to host Australia twice this year – the first of which will include five ODIs and a Twenty20 match © Getty Images
Cricket Australia has reiterated its preference to have the proposed tour of Pakistan in the country itself, after reports claimed that the PCB was planning to stage the postponed series, originally scheduled for March 2008, at a neutral venue.Australia had pulled out citing security concerns, following the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. However, CA has promised to tour Pakistan on two separate occasions in 2009, the first of which has been planned for April, and will include five ODIs and a Twenty20 match.Reports in Pakistan, though, suggested that the board had begun plans to stage the matches in Kuala Lumpur fearing another pullout by CA. Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, and chief operating officer Saleem Altaf are believed to have visited the facilities in the Malaysian capital last week after attending a meeting at the Asian Cricket Council headquarters.CA spokesman Peter Young said he was not privy to the plans outlined in the reports. He said any tour of Pakistan would again be subject to a security assessment and he indicated Australia were eager to tour Pakistan, where they haven’t played since 1998.”I am not aware of the PCB’s plans and at this stage,” he told . “All I can say is that we are very, very keen to play Pakistan at the scheduled time and are looking forward to doing so, subject to the normal safety and security criteria that apply whenever we play anywhere.”The PCB had turned down the offer to stage the matches at a neutral venue when CA initially expressed their reluctance to tour last year. The two teams have already played Tests in Sri Lanka and Sharjah in 2002, and CA chief executive James Sutherland said last March that the option of another neutral series had been discussed.”Playing at a neutral venue was one of the options that was certainly put on the table,” Sutherland said. “But at the end of the day that is something for the Pakistan Cricket Board because it’s their tour and we certainly sympathise with their position in that they desperately want the tour to go ahead in Pakistan.”Pakistan didn’t play a Test in 2008 and their hosting of the Champions Trophy in September was also postponed after some of the participating nations expressed concerns over security conditions. India have also cancelled their tour of Pakistan, which was scheduled to start from January 6, in the wake of the terror attacks in Mumbai.

Queens Park Rangers manager Mark Warburton has dropped an update on the Rs’ pursuit of Andre Gray.

What’s been said?

In recent comments cited by West London Sport, the QPR boss revealed that he is still in the market for a centre-forward in what remains of the summer transfer window, as he believes his side is lacking an attacking outlet who boasts significant pace and power.

The 58-year-old said: “Teams know we want to play football and they’re going to try to stop us playing. We need to have that outlet of pace and power in behind, so if that opportunity arises then we’ll move if we can – obviously within the confines of the budget.

“We’ve had a really good transfer window and done a lot of good business early, but if another opportunity arises then hopefully we can make that move.”

However, when asked directly whether or not QPR were plotting a move for the Watford centre-forward, Warburton said: “I’m never going to talk about another club’s player. He’s a Watford player. We’ve got to look at what options are available. Let’s see what becomes available.”

It then emerged on Monday via The Athletic that Gray was actually on the verge of heading to west London on loan.

Fans will be buzzing

As Warburton states, QPR have enjoyed what looks to be a very successful transfer window thus far, having already landed the impressive additions of Andre Dozzell, Stefan Johansen, Charlie Austin, Jordy de Wijs and Jimmy Dunne amongst others on permeant deals, as well as the loan signing of Norwich City left-back Sam McCallum.

And, while the manager refused to directly discuss his reported interest in Gray, the 58-year-old’s hint that he will be moving for another striker – with the Watford forward very much appearing to be his primary target – prior to the closure of the summer transfer window on Tuesday is sure to have left fans buzzing.

Indeed, despite struggling for form in the Premier League, the man Xisco Munoz dubbed a “brilliant” player has demonstrated on a number of occasions that he is a prolific marksman in the Championship – with the £70k-per-week forward scoring 46 goals and registering 19 assists over his 118 second-tier appearances, averaging a goal involvement a little under every two fixtures.

As such, considering how impressive QPR have been over their opening five league fixtures of the season, with the Rs currently sitting in third place in the Championship, the addition of the £3.6m-rated Gray would only seem to boost Warburton’s chances of securing a top-six finish come the end of the season – an outcome that would delight everyone involved with the club, including the supporters.

In other news: Warburton drops hint on “unbelievable” £2.25m-rated machine, QPR fans will be buzzing

Expect to see the Australians running faster between overs during the first Test against New Zealand following their costly failure to keep up with the required rate in Nagpur last week

Peter English18-Nov-2008
Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke are concentrating on how to lift the over-rate during the first Test © AFP
Expect to see the Australians running faster between overs during the first Test against New Zealand following their costly failure to keep up with the required rate in Nagpur this month. A new series begins on Thursday and the hosts are looking at ways to be more efficient in the field after a match that ended in a team fine and contributed to the 2-0 loss to India.Ricky Ponting remains upset by criticism that he put his own interests ahead of his side’s when bowling part-timers at a crucial stage in an effort to lift the rate instead of facing a suspension for falling behind. The former captains Allan Border and Ian Chappell criticised his decisionmaking and neither man is in Ponting’s immediate plans for a chat.”I haven’t spoken to either of those two gentlemen and probably won’t for a while,” Ponting said during a lunch in Brisbane. “That’s fine, I understand people are going to have opinions on players and my captaincy. A lot of times you totally respect that. I don’t mind people questioningtactics of mine, but the thing that worried me the most was everyone thinking I put myself ahead of the team and its interests. I thought that was a little bit unfair.”If Australia had fallen six overs behind, Ponting could have been banned from the first Test, but after using Cameron White, Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke along with Jason Krejza they finished two overs below the target. Ponting was fined 20% of his match fee and the players were docked 10%.Clarke, the vice-captain, said the team had held more discussions on how to lift the over-rate during the first Test. “It’s just something we are going to have to continually talk about, and keep at the forefront of our minds during the game,” he said. “If it means bowlers leaving their hat atfine leg instead of giving it to the umpire, if it means running between our overs, it’s just something we are going to have to continually work on.”If Australia choose a four-man pace attack it will increase the length of time for each delivery, a problem they encountered in Perth last year when Shaun Tait was elevated to the team. Clarke did not expect the issue to have any influence over whether the offspin of Krejza was preferred toanother fast bowler on a Brisbane surface that has been under cover since the weekend.

Celtic have been linked with a move for Watford striker Troy Deeney with just days remaining of the window, The Sunday Mirror (29/8; page 66) report.  

The Lowdown: Lennon considered bid

Celtic look set to add to their attacking ranks in the final days of the window by signing VVV-Venlo’s Georgios Giakoumakis.

However, it seems as if the Hoops have a long-standing interest in Deeney, with former manager Neil Lennon recently admitting he wanted to sign the forward during his first stint as Celtic boss.

Deeney, on £77,000-a-week at Vicarage Road, hasn’t started a game this season and it seems as if a move could be on the cards.

The Latest: Celtic linked again

Watford released a statement on Friday regarding Deeney. The Hornets revealed that the club and Deeney are in discussions over his future, with the 33-year-old into the final 12 months of his contract.

The Sunday Mirror (29/8; page 66), cited by The Boot Room, admitted that Celtic are one of the sides keen on the forward, who, according to Nigel Pearson, ‘embraces pressure’.

The Verdict: Avoid

Dominic McKay and Ange Postecoglou appear to be building for the future with seven of the club’s nine signings so far 26 years of age or under.

Should Celtic land Giakoumakis, as expected, and possibly move on Odsonne Edouard and Leigh Griffiths, who have been linked with moves away, they should still have enough without Deeney.

Giakoumakis, Kyogo Furuhashi and Albian Ajeti could be the three options in a central role, so Celtic should avoid bringing Deeney to Parkhead in the final few days.

In other news: Pundit tips ‘composed’ ace to re-join Celtic in late activity.

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.”

The Athletic’s Crystal Palace reporter Matt Woosnam believes it’s a great decision that Joel Ward has signed a new contract with the club.

Ward has signed a two-year contract extension which will take him up to the summer of 2023 at Selhurst Park and told Palace TV: “I’m delighted. I think it’s great to have committed the future to the club.”

Palace are under new leadership with Patrick Vieira appointed as the club’s new manager this summer, and he has looked to assemble his side already. This is because along with the new contract for Ward, Palace have made four summer signings with Michael Olise, Jacob Montes, Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen all joining Crystal Palace.

On the new contract for Ward, Woosnam told Football FanCast: “Joel Ward has obviously signed and that’s been announced by Palace and I think that’s a great decision in the end.”

Ward has been a terrific servant for Crystal Palace as he has been with the club nine years and played 273 times for the club, scoring five goals and creating eleven more.

Whilst operating as a right-back mostly, Ward has also played on the side of defence at left-back, as well as appearing as a centre-back on a couple of occasions in the past.

Under new management and with new faces arriving at the football club, Crystal Palace will be hoping that they can improve on last season’s 14th place this upcoming campaign.

Tottenham Hotspur have received a boost in their pursuit of Rubin Kazan winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, after AC Milan refused to meet the asking price for his services [Calciomercato].

The Lowdown: Tottenham eye signings ahead of 2021/22

Progressing towards the 2021/22 campaign, newly appointed Spurs manager Nuno Espirito Santo will be keen to bring in some high quality acquisitions, in order to signal his intent to challenge for European qualification this campaign.

Wasting no time in getting to work on signing preferred targets, the Lilywhites have completed deals for Atalanta goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini on loan alongside ex-Sevilla starlet Bryan Gil [Transfermarkt].

Now, the north Londoners look to have received a shot in the arm following recent reports, eyeing a talented winger to come in following the departure of Erik Lamela.

The Latest: Spurs receive boost in Kvaratskhelia chase

AC Milan believe that the valuation of the Georgian gem Kvaratskhelia from Rubin Kazan is too high, claim Calciomercato, whilst they also have reservations about the signing due to the difficulties surrounding non-EU legislation.

The Serie A outfit have only one more space for a non-EU player and have reportedly turned their attention towards Santos forward Kaio Jorge.

Tottenham, Bayer Leverkusen or Borussia Monchengladbach are now all said to be the most feasible destinations for the exciting young forward.

The Verdict: Kvaratskhelia would be an astute signing for Spurs

In need of reinforcement in the wide areas, Kvaratskhelia would represent an astute piece of business at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

In 2020/21, the Tbilisi-born attacker registered 12 goals in 23 outings across all competitions; four goals and eight assists [Transfermarkt].

Furthermore, his ability to carry the ball forward is there for all to see. Combined for club and country across last season, he made an average of 4.7 dribbles per appearance [WhoScored], marking him as a possible replacement for silky dribbler Lamela.

As the start of the new campaign draws ever nearer for Spurs, they should move to close out a deal for Kvaratskhelia before it is too late.

In other news, Spurs are confident of signing an Argentinian international.

Pakistan opened the Kitply Cup with a comprehensive 70-run victory: their 12th straight win equalled the joint second-longest ODI streak

The Bulletin by Siddarth Ravindran08-Jun-2008
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Salman Butt made his fifth consecutive score above 50 against Bangladesh as Pakistan won their 12th straight match in Mirpur © AFP
Pakistan opened the Kitply Cup with a comprehensive 70-run victory: their 12th straight win equalled the joint second-longest ODI streak. They had won all five in an ODI series against Bangladesh in Pakistan recently, and home advantage didn’t make a difference as hosts Bangladesh once again could not match up against a tougher opponent.After a series of short, sharp showers curtailed the match to a 40-over affair, half-centuries from Salman Butt and Mohammad Yousuf took Pakistan to a commanding 233. In reply, Bangladesh were rarely in the hunt – Wahab Riaz and Shahid Afridi took three wickets each as the hosts crawled to 163 for 8 in their allotted overs. Mohammad Ashraful made a fighting, unbeaten 56 but it came at too pedestrian a pace to be a serious threat.Bangladesh were on the back foot right from the time Pakistan were put in by Ashraful in conditions which were expected to be more conducive to the bowling side. Butt continued his irrepressible form against the hosts, making his fifth consecutive score above 50, while Yousuf played a classy, composed knock before Pakistan lost their way in the final ten overs.The visitors got off to a steady start with Butt, who amassed 451 runs in the recent five-match ODI series, scoring the bulk of the runs. After a cagey beginning, he provided the innings impetus. Shahadat Hossain’s short deliveries were tackled with a rasping cut and a mistimed pull, and after nearly holing out to cover, Butt confidently reeled off four boundaries in a short span, pushing the run-rate to nearly six.Kamran Akmal, the other opener, was subdued until the ninth over, when he shuffled across the stumps and dispatched an off-stump delivery to midwicket for four. An imperious six over long-off followed and with Butt scoring freely at the other end, Pakistan raced to an ominous 69 for no loss after 11 overs.Debutant Dolar Mahmud provided the first breakthrough as an Akmal flash, devoid of any footwork, took the outside-edge and wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim, making a comeback, took a sharp diving catch. It became 75 for 2 the next ball, as Younis Khan was run out thanks to an athletic effort from Raqibul Hasan at midwicket.Butt, who had been rampant against the faster bowlers – racing to 48 off 43 balls – was tied down by Bangladesh’s trio of spinners. Kapali, in particular, kept him quiet as his last 22 runs came in singles before he hit one straight to long-on. At the other end, Yousuf made a circumspect start against Razzak before upping his scoring-rate with a bunch of leg-side boundaries. The fours were interspersed with numerous risk-free drives for singles as he smoothly progressed to his 62nd ODI fifty.Pakistan were poised for a massive total with the score on 178 for 3 after 30 overs. Kapali, however, dismissed both Yousuf and Shahid Afridi in an over as only 13 came off four overs. Misbah-ul-Haq’s big-hitting fetched him 39 off 22 balls, but after he fell on the first ball of the 38th over, Pakistan collapsed dramatically in the final three overs from 229 for 6 to 233 all out.Pakistan’s new-ball bowlers, getting a hint of movement, consolidated the advantage the batsmen had provided by keeping the scoring-rate down. Just as Bangladesh thought the main threats, Sohail Tanvir and Umar Gul, had been seen off, Riaz struck with his second ball – Shahriar Nafees edging a full delivery to the wicketkeeper. Tamim Iqbal was foxed by a loopy delivery from Afridi – who was getting the legbreak to turn appreciably – as he tried to up the tempo.Afridi has not been in the best of form with the bat but underscored his effectiveness as a bowler with a superb spell, finishing with 3 for 19. When he removed Mushfiqur in the 27th over, Bangladesh’s slim hopes evaporated. Ashraful battled on but scored at an inexplicably slow pace even as the wickets tumbled and the asking-rate climbed alarmingly. With just one other batsman scoring more than 20, Bangladesh never mounted a serious challenge and dawdled along till the end of their 40 overs.Given the short duration of the tournament, it’s very tough for a team to recover from a slip-up, and the huge margin of defeat dents Bangladesh’s net run-rate, making their route to the final even more arduous.

Many Aston Villa fans were revelling in a tweet from the club recapping footage of their crucial 2-0 win over Crystal Palace on the road to 2019/20 survival [BBC], which occurred one year ago today.

In a fixture of tight margins, a brace from Trézéguet was enough to secure a vital win which put the Midlands club within four points of their relegation rivals with three games to spare [BBC] as they ultimately ensured top-flight safety on the final day [BBC].

Fresh from comfortably finishing 11th in the league last season, the Villains have quickly banished the uncomfortable memories of that 2019/20 campaign.

Furthermore, they recently smashed their transfer record in order to bring in ex-Norwich talisman Emiliano Buendia for a fee rising to £38m [The Athletic].

In light of the club’s throwback tweet, many Aston Villa fans took to Twitter to rejoice at the memories of Trezeguet’s crucial double over Crystal Palace.

Aston Villa fans react:

Replying to the club’s official Twitter account, here is how some fans reacted to the footage:

“Celebrated in the gosta like we won the league this game”

Credit: @MrNicoMole”I remember this as one of the few good points we had in the 2019/20 season! King Trez!”Credit: @amydunne_2001″King Trez”Credit: @MazeSZN”One of the wins that kept us up.”Credit: @avfcdom2″This was absolute last chance saloon, what a performance on the day. If we hadn’t won that we’d have been down! Can’t wait for the new season #avfc”Credit: @JamesPiggford”our survival isn’t spoken about enough, honestly”Credit: @catrinedwards18In other news, many Aston Villa fans react to a tweet about this duo.

سلم وفد النادي الأهلي القانوني، الشكوى التي تقدمت بها إدارة القلعة الحمراء إلى المحكمة الرياضية الدولية، بخصوص قرار “كاف” الخاص بإقامة المباراة النهائية لدوري أبطال إفريقيا في المغرب.

وكان “كاف” أعلن إقامة المباراة النهائية لدوري أبطال إفريقيا هذا الموسم التي ستجمع بين الأهلي والوداد، في ملعب محمد الخامس بالدار البيضاء، وقدم مجلس إدارة القلعة الحمراء اعتراضًا على هذا القرار وقرر تصعيد شكواه للمحكمة الرياضية.

طالع | الأهلي يعلن 8 قرارات جديدة بشأن ملعب نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا

ووفقاً للموقع الرسمي للأهلي، الوفد القانوني للنادي الأهلي سلم شكوى النادي إلى المحكمة الرياضية، بشأن ملعب نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا، للاعتراض بشكل رسمي على إقامة المباراة في ملعب بعينه للعام الثاني على التوالي، ومنح أحد طرفي اللقاء أفضلية اللعب على ملعبه ووسط جماهيره.

كما قام الوفد القانوني بسداد الرسوم المالية الخاصة بالشكوى كاملة، والتأكيد على طلبات النادي، إما بالبت في الموضوع وإرساء العدالة وإقامة المباراة المشار إليها في ملعب محايد، أو تأجيل المباراة لحين البت في الشكوى، خاصة أن النادي الأهلي قدم كل المستندات التي تؤكد عدالة موقفه.

يذكر أنه من المقرر أن يلتقي الأهلي مع الوداد المغربي، يوم 30 مايو الجاري وفقاً لما أعلنه الاتحاد الإفريقي لكرة القدم.