All posts by h716a5.icu

David Harker, chief executive at Durham, will step down from his role in May to pursue a private business venture.

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Dec-2012David Harker, chief executive at Durham, will step down from his role in May to pursue a private business venture. He will continue as a non-executive director.Harker has worked at Durham throughout their transformation from fledgling first-class county into one of the leading clubs in the country. He initially joined as a financial controller in 1991 and became chief executive in 1999.A local-born businessman, Harker has overseen the development, and rebranding, of Chester-le-Street into an international venue, securing a first Ashes Test next summer. Under Harker’s watch, Durham secured their first major trophy by winning the Friends Provident Trophy in 2007 and back-to-back County Championship titles in 2008 and 2009.But the lure of a new business venture has proved too good an opportunity for Harker to pass up. “I have enjoyed a fantastic 20 years with Durham,” he said. “The club has changed beyond recognition since I joined the team, and it’s a real honour to have played a part in the fantastic achievements made here.”But with the Ashes secured in 2013 – something we could once have scarcely imagined happening in Durham – and a very strong and committed management team now on board, I had been thinking that the coming year may be the one in which I looked for a new challenge.”Of course, whatever you achieve, there is always the temptation to stay on and reach the next goal and the next one after that – which explains why I have been here for such a long time – but it does feel like now is the time to step aside and pass on the reins to someone else.”Harker leaves considerable boots to fill and as such, Clive Leach, Durham chairman, said there will be no rush to find a replacement. “David has made a significant contribution to the club during the course of his career and we’ll now be taking stock and ensuring that we make the decision that is right for the long term future of the club.”We are very sorry to see David go,” Leach said. “He has been so good for the club and has helped to take it from the bottom – both as a business and sports team – to the top. Durham is now an organisation that is recognised on a national and international stage and this is, in no small part, down to the hard work of David and his management team.”

Aston Villa have made a new approach to sign Juventus midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur in this January transfer window according to Tancredi Palmeri.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days have suggested that Steven Gerrard’s side have got the Uruguay international in their sights as they look to bolster their midfield options before deadline day next week.

And now, writing on Twitter, Palmeri said: “Aston Villa had today a new contact with Juventus for Bentancur. Juventus asking 25m€. Aston Villa keen on the deal.”

Villa fans will be buzzing

Despite not being a regular starter for Juventus this season under Massimiliano Allegri, Bentancur has managed to play 19 games in the Serie A, as well as featuring in five out of his side’s six Champions League group stage games.

Dubbed a “terrific player” by The Athletic’s Seb Stafford-Bloor, the Uruguayan is very much a midfield machine who’s capable of breaking up attacks, and then driving forward with the ball too.

As per Whoscored, he has averaged an impressive 1.7 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game in Serie A this year (no Villa midfielder actually betters his interception rate), while he also boasts a fine pass accuracy too at 87.5% – that’s actually better than any player who has started at least one game for Gerrard’s side this season.

It’s no surprise then that the midfielder has come in for some high praise for his performances, not least from Juventus legend Gianlugi Buffon.

He said: “Bentancur has something different to everyone else. He’s reliable tactically, technically and psychologically.”

The fact Villa remain “keen” on the deal, and that they have now made new contact over Bentancur is sure to have fans buzzing at the prospect of seeing him make a late arrival before the close of the window next week.

The £22.5m-rated star could be exactly what Gerrard is looking for in this January transfer window.

Meanwhile, Villa are set to launch a move for this star…

Scotland Yard says it has passed on to prosecutors an initial file of evidence on claims that the Pakistan cricketers accepted cash bribes to take part in spot-fixing

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Sep-2010Scotland Yard has said it has passed on to prosecutors an initial file of evidence on claims that Pakistan cricketers were involved in spot-fixing.It said evidence that there was a conspiracy to defraud bookmakers will be considered by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).”The Metropolitan Police Service has today delivered an initial file of evidence relating to conspiracy to defraud bookmakers to the Crown Prosecution Service,” a Scotland Yard spokesman said. “The file will now be subject to CPS consideration. This is an initial file and the Met investigation continues.”Four Pakistan players – Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz – have been questioned by the police, and the first three have been suspended by the ICC pending the investigation. Those three have returned to Pakistan following an agreement with Scotland Yard that they would return at any time for further questioning.Butt, Asif and Amir have also replied to notices issued to them by the ICC after it felt they had a case to answer.Scotland Yard’s announcement comes a day after ICC president Sharad Pawar said the police investigation was “likely to end soon”.

Middlesex took just 77 minutes to complete victory over Surrey by an innings and 44 runs on the third day at Lord’s despite dogged resistance from Chris Tremlett who produced an unbeaten half century

31-Jul-2010
ScorecardMiddlesex took just 77 minutes to complete victory over Surrey by an innings and 44 runs on the third day at Lord’s despite dogged resistance from Chris Tremlett who produced an unbeaten half century.It meant the hosts took maximum points from a County Championship fixture for the first time in 28 games and inflicted their first defeat by an innings over their historic rivals since 1995 with only one victory in the intervening time, in 2004.Surrey, in contrast, took a solitary point from the match after two of their three bowling bonus points were deducted for a slow over-rate. The last time they were so trounced by Middlesex, an EGM at The Oval called for wholesale manageme changes, though the petitioners were not immediately successful.Surrey cricket manager Chris Adams said: “We’ve just got to take this on the chin and re-group”. He also revealed fitness doubts over Andre Nel, Surrey’s spearhead bowler, for the rest of the season. At least the few Surrey fans who turned up had something to cheer in the performance of Tremlett, whose undefeated 53 required only 42 balls and was his first fifty since joining the county this year.The England fast bowler had made six fifties in his Hampshire days but none was quite as exotic as this. After Surrey resumed 146 behind at 110 for 6, Tremlett arrived at the crease when Gareth Batty was magnificently caught by Josh Davey who, diving to his right, held on to a full-blooded drive one-handed at short extra cover.This gave Tim Murtagh his one wicket in the innings off the day’s 13th ball but Tremlett was immediately dropped off the next by Owais Shah at third slip. Escaping before he had scored, he dominated a stand of 67 runs in 62 balls before Stewart Walters, swinging at a wide one, attempted one Twenty20 shot too many.Caught behind, Walters went for 43 to Pedro Collins who had been brought back into the attack after punishment to Toby Roland-Jones. The inexperienced youngster was given just one over before being wisely withdrawn when it was smashed for 12 runs. He had done the real damage yesterday evening with his maiden five-wicket haul and finished with 5 for 41.Shaun Udal, greeted by Tremlett with a six off his fifth ball, removed Jade Dernbach after another 29 came in 21 balls and then Collins ended the innings next over.

Round-up of the first day of the seventh round of Division Two of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2010Khan Research Laboratories surprised table-toppers State Bank of Pakistan, bowling them out for 148 at the Khan Research Laboratory Ground in Rawalpindi. KRL seamer Yasir Arafat, who has played three Tests for Pakistan, took 5 for 53 – his 40th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket. Only five of SBP’s batsmen got to double figures. KRL, who are sixth in the table, 18 points behind SBP, finished the day at 78 for 2.Thirty points separate Abbottabad and Quetta in the table, and the gulf in class showed at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium where the visitors were all out for 215 on the first day. Abbottabad’s bowlers shared the wickets with left-arm seamer Armaghan Elahi taking three, and seamer Nabeeullah and left-arm spinner Khalid Usman taking two each. Quetta had lost both their openers with the score still on four. Captain Arun Lal’s 52 and Mohammad Aslam’s 49 offered some resistance, but the last four wickets fell for 12 to give Abbottabad a clear advantage.Karachi Whites hold the advantage in their match against Lahore Ravi after bowling them out for 206 on the first day at the Gaddafi Stadium. Karachi seamer Sohail Khan took his second consecutive six-wicket haul to break the spine of Lahore Ravi’s middle-order. Only four Lahore Ravi players reached double figures, with wicketkeeper Zeeshan Ali the only half centurion.Three wickets late in the day got Lahore Shalimar back into their match against Pakistan Television after a 112-run stand between Ammar Mahmood and Awais Zia had threatened to take the game away from them. After electing to bat at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground, Pakistan Television captain Raheel Majeed, who is the leading run-getter in Division Two this season, got them off to a solid start with his 30. Mahmood and Zia then piled on the runs with Zia reaching 75. But Lahore Shalimar seamer Aamer Hayat , who is third in the wicket-taker’s charts this season, helped his team restore some parity with three late strikes.An unbeaten century by Aqeel Anjum took Hyderabad to 310 for 7 on the first day against Peshawar at the Arbab Niaz Stadium. The two sides are stuck at second-last and third-last in the table and it was Hyderabad who took the honours on the first day. Opener Sharjeel Khan gave them a solid start with his 61. Anjum then struggled to find a partner willing to stay with him before left-arm spinner Kashif Bhatti stuck with him through a 92-run eighth-wicket stand. Offspinner Sajjad Ahmed took four wickets, but gave away 109 runs in his 28 overs.

Richie Berrington struck a responsible 82 as Scotland overcame a top-order scare to move into the ascendancy on the second day against Netherlands in Deventer

Cricinfo staff11-Jun-2010
ScorecardRichie Berrington struck a responsible 82 as Scotland overcame a top-order scare to move into the ascendancy on the second day against Netherlands in Deventer. Netherlands’ bowling attack stuck to their guns in the early part of the day to reduce the visitors to 61 for 4 before the recovery began, and the lower order finished the day with a lead of 63, with three wickets left.The wickets were shared around, with Mark Jonkman and Adeel Raja picking two apiece, while Berend Westdijk, Peter Borren and Ruud Nijman scalped one each. Raja was getting into his groove, having accounted for Simon Smith and Qasim Sheikh when Berrington began the rescue act. Neil McCallum provided the perfect foil, as they regained ground through patient cricket. Berrington struck nine fours in his 82, and the pair had raised 133 when Borren dismissed him with the first-innings lead in sight. Gregor Maiden who came in next ensured the lead was duly achieved, before McCallum departed having reached his fifty. Matthew Parker worked his way to an unbeaten 28, and his stand with Maiden dispirited the hosts further before Nijman intervened, but the advantage remained well and truly with Scotland at stumps.

If all goes well for Usman Khawaja, he could be on a plane to England in July to face the country of his birth in a Test series. What’s more he could fly the plane himself

Brydon Coverdale24-May-2010If all goes well for Usman Khawaja, he could be on a plane to England in July to face the country of his birth in a Test series. What’s more he could the plane himself. At 23, Khawaja is a qualified pilot, a batsman of rare class and he could soon be the first Pakistani-born player to represent Australia.But first things first: Khawaja has been chosen for Australia A’s series against Sri Lanka A in Brisbane in June. The selection was no surprise, for Khawaja posted three Sheffield Shield centuries and averaged 63.45 for New South Wales last summer. But the timing, as with so many of Khawaja’s strokes, has been exquisite.The Australian selectors have delayed naming the squad for the two Tests against Pakistan until they see how the A-team performs and thanks to Phillip Hughes’ busted shoulder there is a backup batting spot available. Khawaja’s stiffest competition is likely to come from the Australia A captain George Bailey and the No. 3 Michael Klinger.Khawaja’s youth means he is more of a long-term prospect than Klinger, who will be 30 by the first Test, and his first-class average of a touch under 50 dwarfs Bailey’s mark of 38. He’s not thinking of Test tours just yet, although the baggy green has been Khawaja’s primary objective ever since he was introduced to the sport by his cricket-mad father.”There is a Test spot but there’s still a few games in the A tournament and I’ve just got to keep scoring runs,” Khawaja told Cricinfo. “Aussie A is really exciting. I used to watch the Aussie A guys on TV back in the day when they were in the one-day series. I’m pretty excited, representing Australia in anything is really, really exciting. It’s another step up – I can’t wait.”When the family moved from Islamabad to Sydney, Khawaja was three. His father Tariq continued to support Pakistan but gradually switched allegiances to Australia as his son moved through the ranks. There have been semi-regular trips back to Pakistan, but Khawaja never considered playing for the country of his birth.”Even if they [Pakistan] came calling, there was never a chance of me going there anyway,” he said. “Ever since I was young I’ve been loyal to Australia and all I’ve ever wanted to do is represent Australia and get that baggy green. The thought never even crossed my mind. Australia feels like home, so I don’t think it would be right.”He reckons his dad was “pretty stoked” to hear of the A-team call-up, although Khawaja has shown such poise since making his state debut two years ago that it was only a matter of time. His cricketing success means that his second passion, aviation, has been put aside and he hasn’t taken to the cockpit for 18 months.”Piloting was the thing I was doing, pretty much as a fall back plan for cricket,” he said. “I love cricket to death, and all I ever wanted to do was play cricket. When you’re about 18 and nothing’s certain, I didn’t have any contract and had just made the NSW U-19s team, it was all uncertain. I just felt like I had to do a degree, get it under my belt and I didn’t have to worry about that part of my life.”There’s nothing like a great landing – it’s a great feeling. But I don’t think there’s anything in the world like scoring a hundred or winning a big title for your team. Cricket has always taken that mantle.”Perhaps having not piloted for a while he’d better not fly that plane to London after all. But if he performs against Sri Lanka A, he might just earn a passenger’s ticket.

Teams from Nepal, USA, Italy, Cayman Islands, Argentina and Tanzania will participate in the World Cricket League Division Four, to be held in three venues in Italy in August

Cricinfo staff12-Jul-2010Teams from Nepal, USA, Italy, Cayman Islands, Argentina and Tanzania will participate in the World Cricket League Division Four, to be held in three venues in Italy in August. USA and Nepal secured a promotion to Division Four after finishing in the top two in the WCL Division Five last year, while Cayman Islands and Argentina were relegated after finishing poorly in Division Three in 2008-09.The teams will gear up in the hope of qualifying for the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in 2013, the tournament that will determine which four teams make it to the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2015. The top two sides in Division Four will win promotion to WCL Division Three, to be staged in Hong Kong in 2011.The teams arrive on August 12 and the tournament ends on August 21.Itinerary
August 12 – Arrival
August 14 – USA v Nepal (Pianora); Italy v Cayman Islands (Medicina); Tanzania v Argentina (Bologna)
August 15 – Italy v Nepal (Pianora); Argentina v Cayman Islands (Medicina); USA v Tanzania (Bologna)
August 17 – Italy v Argentina (Pianora); Nepal v Tanzania (Medicina); USA v Cayman Islands (Bologna)
August 18 – Cayman Islands v Tanzania (Pianora); Italy v USA (Medicina); Nepal v Argentina (Bologna)
August 20 – USA v Argentina (Pianora); Cayman Islands v Nepal (Medicina); Tanzania v Italy (Bologna)
August 21 – Final (Pianora); third/fourth place play-off (Medicina); fifth/sixth place play-off (Bologna).

Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport have shared a big Manchester United transfer update involving Juventus forward Paulo Dybala and incoming new manager Erik ten Hag.

The Lowdown: ten Hag revolution underway?

The 52-year-old, coming as the latest elite boss in a long line tasked with steering United back to the Premier League summit, has already been making his mark behind-the-scenes – according to reports.

Ten Hag is allegedly working on summer transfer targets with a central defender first and foremost on the Red Devils agenda, as per reporter Rudy Galetti, but that hasn’t stopped the Old Trafford side also making pre-summer moves for attacking targets.

ESPN journalist James Olley revealed just the other day that they had made an approach for soon-to be free agent and Juve star Dybala with La Gazzetta, a big name newspaper, now backing this update with their own bit of news.

The Latest: La Gazzetta make big Dybala claim…

According to the publication in their print edition, as shared by Sport Witness, United have indeed made ‘first contact’ to sign the Argentine.

Following on, they claim that ten Hag could play a major role in luring Dybala to Manchester, even wanting to hijack Inter Milan’s move for the player.

Indeed, while the European heavyweights are also in contact over signing the £222,000-per-week star, it is believed ten Hag could ‘cut them out’ with his own ‘speech’ – meaning he may be able to personally persuade Dybala to choose a move to England instead.

The Dutchman is also apparently a huge fan of the player as United take a step pre-summer by making early contact.

The Verdict: Good move?

A proven attacking threat in Serie A, scoring nearly a century of goals in the division combined with 51 assists (Transfermarkt), signing the £36 million-rated man for nothing would be a real statement by ten Hag and the club.

English pundits, like former Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson, have previously raved over the ‘world class’ Dybala as a potentially ‘massive addition’ for any squad (Football Insider).

Set to become one of the biggest free agents of 2022, the race will be competitive for his signing, but perhaps ten Hag’s allure and United’s status as a household name could tempt Dybala.

In other news: Rangnick has set his sights on another one of Serie A’s brightest talents…find out more here.

ESPNcricinfo’s preview of the fifth Test between Australia and England at the SCG

Andrew Miller at the SCG01-Jan-2011Match FactsOver to you skip. Ricky Ponting has handed the captaincy to Michael Clarke for the Sydney Test•Getty ImagesJanuary 3-7, Sydney
Start time 10:30 (23:30 GMT)The Big PictureThe Ashes have been retained, but there’s still so much at stake as the series moves on to the New Year Test in Sydney. Another performance as crushing as either Adelaide or Melbourne proved to be, and England will have triumphed 3-1 – a margin of victory befitting a campaign that has been as meticulously crafted as any in the long history of Anglo-Australian rivalry. Another slip-up of the sort that threatened to derail them in Perth, however, and the series will be squared at 2-2, the first such scoreline since 1972, but one that would leave the Aussies feeling decidedly chipper after one of their most exacting home summers since the mid-1980s.All the signs point to England. They are settled, confident and – despite a few justified hangovers on the morning after the Ashes were retained – supremely focused on a speck in the middle distance which reads “World No. 1”. They’ve got a long way to go yet, but seeing as they have not lost a series of any description since September 2009, they are well on their way to that aim. Australia, by contrast, have just succumbed to their fifth Test defeat in seven matches, and are reeling not only from the sheer destructiveness of England’s performance at the MCG, but the implications of the collateral damage as well, with Ricky Ponting sidelined for the first time in six years.Nevertheless, we’ve been here before in Ashes cricket. Twenty-four years ago at this very ground, the seeds of Australia’s renaissance were sown at the precise moment that England believed they had laid them out for the rest of the decade. When the unheralded offspinner Peter Taylor claimed eight wickets on debut to secure a consolation 55-run victory in the fifth Test of the 1986-87 series, it was assumed it was a case of dead cat bounce for an out-muscled outfit. On the contrary, that victory would be the first of 12 Aussie wins without reply in Ashes cricket, with their run finally ending at The Oval in 1993.The lesson is simple. When Australia are down, they need to be kept there at all costs, because no side is more adept at improbable regeneration. The odds may be stacked against them, but if England dare to turn up without their fullest focus, the scope for an upset still exists.Form guide(most recent first)
Australia LWLDL
England WLWDWWatch out for…Michael Beer and Usman Khawaja will be making their Test debuts, but they will have surpassed themselves if they attract even a fraction of the attention that will be reserved for third first-timer in the Aussie ranks. On Monday, Michael Clarke will become Australia’s 43rd Test captain, and so step into a role that is second only in the nation’s prestige to the office of Prime Minister. Whether he is worthy of such a position is a question that he needs to answer PDQ. Some 85% of respondents to a national newspaper poll do not believe he is up to it, and while his team-mates have rallied round obediently this week, it is no secret that he is not universally adored within the dressing room. With 148 runs at 21.14 in the series to date, he’ll secure himself a quick hit of respect if he can rediscover his once-silky batting form.
Graeme Swann has been a ubiquitous presence in England’s Ashes campaign, from his series-long tussle with Australia’s main man, Michael Hussey, to his lead role in the sprinkler dance with which the squad celebrated the moment of victory at Melbourne. Through his acclaimed tour video, the insight track on a happy and harmonious squad has been plain to see. But his actual on-field contributions have been rather more subdued than he would have planned. Five matchwinning wickets at Adelaide and a vital holding role at the MCG have been offset by two anonymous outings at Brisbane and Perth. But Sydney is traditionally a spinner’s sanctuary. He will expect to make feathers fly.Team newsA new year, a new team for Australia. Ponting’s broken finger means he will be absent from their ranks for the first time since the tour of India in 2004-05, some 73 Tests ago, while Ryan Harris’s stress fractured ankle deprives them of arguably their most tireless fast-bowling option, and a man who claimed a career-best 6 for 47 at Perth a fortnight ago. Khawaja, Australia’s first Muslim Test cricketer, will step into Ponting’s immense shoes at No. 3, while Beer will finally get an outing after carrying the stubbies at the WACA and the MCG. Doug Bollinger is 12th man.Australia 1 Shane Watson, 2 Phillip Hughes, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Michael Hussey, 6 Steven Smith, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Michael Beer, 11 Ben Hilfenhaus.Paul Collingwood’s form remains a concern for England, but he will surely play, albeit at No. 6, for what could yet be his final appearance in Test cricket. After his heroics in the fourth Test, Tim Bresnan has earned the right to keep his place in England’s pace attack, despite the claims of the rested Steven Finn and the ever-eager but as-yet-unused Ajmal Shahzad.England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Paul Collingwood, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Chris Tremlett, 11 James AndersonPitch and conditionsSydney’s traditional characteristics will please Swann after a series in which only one surface, Adelaide, has truly played into his hands. But, according to David Saker, England’s revered bowling coach and the architect of their strategies for all five Tests, it will also swing at the SCG. James Anderson will be licking his lips, but so too Mitchell Johnson. The curator Tom Parker says win the toss and bat, and to expect spin from day three, but heavy overnight rain may tempt the captains to bowl.Stats and trivia Australia’s record at the SCG is formidable, with 14 wins in 16 Tests dating back to 1996. However, England are the only side to have beaten them at the venue in that time. Their 225-run win in 2002-03 was their last win on Australian soil until last month’s Adelaide Test . Alastair Cook needs 23 more runs to reach 600 for the series, a landmark achieved by just six England batsmen in Australia, most recently Michael Vaughan (633) in 2002-03. Ricky Ponting ‘s absence leaves him stranded on 99 Test wins, which is still the most individual victories by any player in Test history. Quotes”He’ll be an aggressive captain, always looking to take wickets out there, make changes to the field and with the bowlers. That’s the way Australians have played our cricket as long as I can remember. I think he’ll be a very positive captain.”
Michael Hussey gives a vote of confidence to his new leader, Michael Clarke

“We had one night out after the game, you should celebrate a Test victory and an Ashes-retaining victory heavily. I tried to a lead a merry dance, but that was one night and we’ve moved on.”
Graeme Swann says that England’s focus is back on the job after some heady times following the Melbourne win