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South Africa will have to wait until the return series next month to try to steal the official No. 1 Test ranking from Australia, but captain Graeme Smith is boosted by the knowledge his side can beat any one in the world. The tourists could have taken top spot with a win in Sydney, but the dead-rubber defeat led to a 2-1 victory, giving the hosts a five-point lead at the top of the table.While Ricky Ponting said Australia “haven’t been that bad” over the past three weeks, the team fell heavily in 2008, and if they lose the three-match contest in South Africa they will no longer be world champions. Smith’s team was the best of the past year, but he was reluctant to say they were on top.”The ranking says not,” he said when asked if South Africa were No. 1. “We can hold our own with any team. That’s a comforting position. Rankings are a nice talking point, but we want to know we can arrive in a series knowing we are capable of beating a team.”Smith, who said the series had been the best of his career, is prepared for more Australian fightbacks in South Africa, but back-to-back victories remain a priority. “We’re the only team that has that opportunity,” he said, “so in six weeks it all starts again.”Ponting was relieved to have regained the winning feeling after a torrid period when the captain, selectors and team were heavily criticised. “We wanted to start 2009 on the right foot and we’ve done that,” he said. “I’m very proud of the way we bounced back. It’s always very hard in a serieswhen you’re 2-0 down. It says a lot about the character of the side to get off the canvas.”Australia almost didn’t make it, taking the final wicket in the 103-run win with 10 balls remaining. A storm was the first threat, but then the tailenders, Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini, delayed things before Smith walked out at No. 11 to bat despite a broken finger. Mitchell Johnson was finally able to take the last wicket when he bowled Smith with an off-cutter.”It was tense, my heart rate was up for much of the afternoon,” Ponting said. “It was great to come away with a hard-fought win. We thoroughly deserved to win this game.”He also defended the side from the displays of the previous month. “It could have easily been a 2-1 result our way as well,” he said. “We haven’t been that bad. There’s been a lot of negativity around us. This can only be a really positive thing for us.”Peter Siddle was Man of the Match for his eight wickets, including 5 for 59 in the first innings, and Ponting praised the young bowling attack. Johnson also performed solidly while Doug Bollinger and Nathan Hauritz chipped in.”To see [Siddle] coming through with a Man-of-the-Match award was very pleasing,” Ponting said. “Bollinger did well at different times, Andrew McDonald got crucial breakthroughs and Hauritz was steady and reliable.”

A round-up of the second day’s matches in the ACC Under-19 women’s tournament in Thailand

Cricinfo staff15-Dec-2008
UAE beat Thailand by two runs © ACC
UAE bounced back from their defeat to Hong Kong and beat hosts Thailand in a close game at the ACC women’s Under-19 tournament at the Chiang Mai Gymkhana. An improved batting performance, led by captain Natasha Cherriath’s 21, took UAE to 100 after which 15-year old Samiya Salim reduced Thailand to 64 for 4 in 18 overs. But captain Naruemol Chaiwai’s 20-run partnership with Pundarika Prathanmitr kept Thailand in the hunt. However, the chase lost steam after Prathanmitr was run out at the start of the final over and UAE eventually won by two runs.Bhutan could not repeat their opening-day success and went down to a nine-wicket loss to Nepal at the Chiang Mai Gymkhana. No batsman managed double figures as Bhutan limped to 34 off their 25 overs. Sonu Khadka was Nepal’s most successful bowler with 2 for 3 in five overs. Opener Maya Rawat led the chase with an unbeaten 20 off 25 balls. This was Nepal’s second win in two days. Bhutan’s coach Damber S Gurung praised Nepal’s performance. “Everyone sees Nepal as a tough opponent,” Gurung was quoted as saying in Nepal’s .By conceding 43 extras China contributed significantly to Kuwait’s win at the Prem Oval in the first game of the tournament for the two sides. Kuwait lost three wickets in chasing down China’s 67; captain Priyada Murali’s 11 was the top score. Though their bowling was undisciplined, China did trouble Kuwait and kept a check on the runs scored off the bat. Opener Khansa Irfan batted 46 balls for her unbeaten 4 and Alina D’Silva took 20 balls for her 6. Kuwait were also guilty of boosting China’s score with extras – 30 in all. Murali took two wickets – both caught and bowled – for five runs.

Speaking to Football Insider, BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Alan Hutton has been left in awe of West Ham United’s signing of Croatia international Nikola Vlasic.

The Lowdown: West Ham finally land attacker…

From the beginning right through to the very end of the summer transfer window, West Ham were linked with bolstering manager David Moyes’ attacking options ahead of a long season.

The striking position was a hot topic among Irons supporters, as was as the possible signing of an attacking midfield player, with Moyes managing to bag one at the very last gasp.

West Ham allegedly turned their attention away from Jesse Lingard after learning of his £30 million asking price, going on to target former Everton man Vlasic.

As a result, the club secured a £25.7 million deal plus £7.7 million in add-ons for the attacker on deadline day (The Athletic).

The Latest: Hutton in awe of move…

Speaking to FI, the ex-Tottenham Hotspur defender waxed lyrical over this swoop and believes Vlasic could come good in the east end.

Hutton says that the 23-year-old comes as a sound alternative to Lingard.

“When you look at age and stuff comes into it. If you’re paying £30 million for someone that’s touching 30, yes he’s proven in the Premier League and had a great season last year,” the Scotsman explained when asked about Lingard vs Vlasic.

“But Vlasic, anybody that’s in the Croatian national team, you know they’re technically gifted. They prove this all the time.

“He’s got that experience, he’s young, he’s going to get better. Playing at a higher level, as in the Premier League, we’ll hopefully see the best of him.

“If you look at Moyes’ transfers that he’s made over recent seasons, it’s been unbelievable. He’s yet to miss if we’re totally honest.

“This is one I’m looking forward to seeing. The little bits I have seen of him have been very good. I’m looking forward to seeing how he does in a high-flying West Ham team.”

The Verdict: Moyes masterclass?

Going by the numbers, Vlasic certainly looks like a real bargain on paper.

For an initial £25.7m fee, West Ham may have just landed one of the coups of the window given he notched a prolific 11 goals and five assists in 26 Russian Premier League starts (WhoScored).

As well as this, Vlasic sensationally averaged 4 shots on goal per 90 in that time and 2.8 key passes – far eclipsing the numbers of every West Ham player in the Premier League last year (WhoScored).

While you could make the argument that his fine form came in an inferior division, his threat is there for all to see as he did impress at Euro 2020.

In other news: ‘Yayyyy’, ‘Oooooo’, ‘Actually mental’…West Ham fans raving over ‘fantastic news’, find out more here.

Chris Gayle, the Stanford Superstars captain, is confident his team can beat England in the US$20 million Stanford 20/20 for 20 on November 1

Cricinfo staff22-Oct-2008
Chris Gayle: “To be honest I never thought that when I started to play cricket, I would be playing for so much money” ©Stanford2020.com
Chris Gayle, the Stanford Superstars captain, is confident his team can beat England in the US$20 million Stanford 20/20 for 20 on November 1. Gayle knows the visitors begin the one-week Stanford Super Series as favourites, but says anything could happen in the shorter form of the game.”England are strong favourites,” Gayle said. “They are well balanced and very talented, it will not be easy.”But against [favourites] South Africa, England won 4-0 [in the ODIs] and we can do it as well.”In Twenty20 cricket there is no comfort zone and anything can happen, regardless of who are favourites,” Gayle said. “One delivery can change the game.”The Superstars squad includes a few West Indies regulars alongside those who have performed in Twenty20s on the domestic circuit. “It is a good mixture and I think we have the talent to get out there and get the job done. Everybody is looking forward to the tournament over here. We are really excited.””To be honest I never thought that when I started to play cricket, I would be playing for so much money. Credit must go to Sir Allen Stanford for organising and developing the game here.”Gayle also had time to kick off some verbal talk with his opposite number. “He [Pietersen] already has plenty of money so he should make it easy for us. This is a life-changing amount of money for us. If we win, it’s important we spend it wisely.”Our preparation has been going well so we are just waiting on the big day.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O departamento médico do Vasco divulgou novo boletim médico na tarde desta terça-feira para atualizar as informações dos feridos no acidente com o ônibus que estava o time sub-17 cruz-maltino no último sábado. Apenas dois feridos seguem em recuperação – e bem: os pacientes Caio Lopes e Filipe Nunes. De acordo com o clube, apresentam “ótima evolução”.

No boletim médico, sobre Filipe Nunes, o Vasco informou que “após uma nova avaliação no Hospital Unimed, localizado na Barra da Tijuca, o analista de desempenho foi liberado pela equipe médica, pois lesões não foram diagnosticadas tanto por parte da neurologia como da ortopedia”. A previsão é receba alta até a manhã desta quarta-feira.

A situação mais demorada é com Caio Lopes. No boletim, o Vasco informou que ele está “em tratamento no Hospital Pasteur, no Méier”, e “recebeu um novo curativo cirúrgico”. Segundo o Cruz-Maltino, Caio ficará cinco dias no hospital antes de ser reavaliado. Durante esse período, o atleta permanecerá em observação no hospital para a drenagem do curativo. Ainda destacou que o jogador está lúcido e passa bem.

Ainda no boletim médico, o Vasco esclareceu que o atleta Douglas Carvalho não sofreu fratura no fêmur e tampouco foi submetido a alguma cirurgia. No comunicado, o clube afirmou que “após um diagnóstico minucioso, o departamento médico determinou o uso de um colete toracolombar, visando estabilizar a área atingida pelo acidente”.

Vale lembrar que a equipe sub-17 do Vasco sofreu um acidente na estrada RJ 116, próximo à cidade de Cachoeira de Macacu. O ônibus que transportava a delegação cruz-maltina de Nova Friburgo ao Rio de Janeiro, após uma partida contra o Friburguense, acabou virando em uma das curvas da pista, deixando pessoas feridas. A maioria já teve alta.

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Crystal Palace are set to demand around £40m for talismanic forward Wilfried Zaha this summer, according to well-known journalist Matt Woosnam.

What’s the story?

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, The Athletic’s Palace reporter revealed the club’s asking price should they receive an offer for the Ivory Coast international.

“I think we’re looking around £40million at least, which is lower than it was a year ago, but he only has two years on his contract, so in two years’ time he will be a free agent,” Woosnam said.

Fellow Premier League clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Everton have been strongly linked with a move for the 28-year-old in recent weeks, although no concrete bids have been made as of yet.

Fans will be gutted

Zaha has established himself as a Palace great throughout his time with his boyhood club, bagging 68 goals and providing 72 assists in 393 appearances for the south London outfit. He enjoyed the most fruitful goalscoring campaign of his career to date last term, netting 11 Premier League goals as the Eagles secured a ninth consecutive season in the top flight.

Therefore, Woosnam’s claim that Zaha could leave Selhurst Park for as little as £40m will surely leave large sections of the Palace supporters feeling gutted.

The Ivory Coast international attracted strong interest from Arsenal back in 2019, with the south Londoners reportedly demanding a huge £80m just two years ago. Back then, the Eagles turned down an offer of £40m from their fellow capital club.

To make matter worse, any fee that Palace receive for their star forward will also be significantly reduced due to a 25% sell-on clause inserted into the deal which brought Zaha back to the club from Manchester United.

A recent report in the Evening Standard claimed that the Selhurst Park hierarchy are hopeful that their recent spending spree under new manager Patrick Vieira will be enough to convince the wantaway Zaha to stay.

However, with his contract set to expire in the summer of 2023, the current transfer window may be the last chance for Palace to demand a sizeable fee for their prized asset.

In other news…Parish must swoop for “underrated” £6.3m-rated beast, he’s an upgrade on Milivojevic 

Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma would fit in at Wolves and is the type of player they need, says Express & Star reporter Luke Hatfield.

Zouma is one name Chelsea are thought to be open to selling this summer and Wolves have been credited with an interest.

According to Telefoot journalist Julien Maynard, the Midlands club have already made a move for the 26-year-old, though he has rebuffed their advances. However, there is still an expectation that he will leave in the current transfer window.

And if Wolves can end up persuading Zouma to join, then Hatfield believes Bruno Lage will be getting a player his squad desperately needs.

“Zouma is obviously a good player,” Hatfield said to FFC. “I think he’s impressed with Chelsea and it was a spell at Everton before then.

“He’s a player who I think would probably fit in at Wolves; he’s probably that type of player [they’re missing]. They do need another centre-back.”

While it is currently looking unlikely, if Wolves do manage to land Zouma, then they will be getting a central defender who is particularly strong in the air.

Last season, the Frenchman, who helped Chelsea to Champions League glory, won 3.6 aerial duels per league game, the highest average in Thomas Tuchel’s squad (via WhoScored).

Liverpool are plotting a move for AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie as the club continue to search for Gini Wijnaldum’s replacement.

What’s the story?

The Reds will reportedly offer the 24-year-old a deal worth £7m-a-year in an attempt to lure the box-to-box midfielder away from San Siro, according to Italian outlet Sports Mediaset (as reported by the Daily Mirror).

However, the report claims that Jurgen Klopp and co. face a tough battle to secure Kessie’s signature, with Milan set to offer a £5m salary in order to try and keep the Ivory Coast international in Serie A.

Kessie has just one year remaining on his current contract with the Rossoneri, and talks over an extension are thought to be at an impasse.

Jurgen Klopp will love him

Following the departure of Wijnaldum, several well-known stars have been linked with a move to Anfield as Klopp attempts to adequately replace the Netherlands international.

And bringing in Kessie is a deal that makes sense for multiple reasons. The stocky dynamo has cultivated an enviable reputation during his time in Italian football, and his playing style appears to naturally suit Liverpool’s preferred approach.

The Milan ace’s mix of pace, energy, technical ability and eye for goal make him the ideal fit for Klopp’s preferred gegenpressing setup, meaning a move to English shores could be on the cards.

His impressive performances for Milan in recent years have earned several plaudits, including ex-striker Antonio Cassano, who even compared him to a previous Premier League great.

“I want Kessie in my team, he scores, he assists, he has personality, he has quality, he doesn’t lose the ball, he is intelligent. I’m watching him carefully, against Roma, he was devastating,” he said (via MilanLive).

“He reminds me of the Yaya Touré of the best times. He is a different player, but in terms of impact, he is holding Milan’s midfield alone.”

Kessie really caught the eye last season, bagging 13 goals and providing six assists in 37 top-flight appearances, achieving a highly respectable 7.15 WhoScored rating along the way.

Whether the combative midfielder can be tempted to join Liverpool remains to be seen, but the £49.5m-rated maestro has the assets required to slot straight into Klopp’s system, and could help propel the Anfield outfit back to the summit of English football.

And, in other news…Time’s up: Klopp must ruthlessly axe £10m LFC flop this summer, he’s not good enough 

Saeed Anwar, Pakistan’ dashing left-handed opening batsman, indicated Monday he may feature in the last couple of games of the Super League One-day Ramazan Cup in Lahore.Saeed has been forced to miss the first part of the tournament because he had to rush down to Karachi for family reasons.His father-in-law is in critical condition with renal failure and other complications and is currently admitted in an ICU of a local hospital where he is undergoing dialysis.Saeed, who was inexplicably ignored by national selectors for the current tour of Zimbabwe, hopes to play in the Super League matches later on.”I am forced by circumstances beyond my control to miss the start of the Super League tournament,” a visibly disturbed Saeed told Dawn. “My father-in-law is seriously ill and I can’t expect myself to keep away from family matters in this hour of need.”The Karachi-born, who now lives in Lahore, said that he has taken permission from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to skip playing in the early stage of the tournament, which got under way Monday at Gaddafi Stadium.”With six matches available, I can afford to take it easy and God willing, if matters improve here, I shall play at least three games,” Saeed remarked.When asked how he felt as far as his motivation is concerned, Saeed replied, “I am raring to go and prove them (the selectors) that there is still a lot of cricket left in me.”After all, I have averaged 35 over the last 25 One-day Internationals. My performances in Morocco Cup and ICC Champions Trophy were quite good.”Saeed dearly wants to figure in another World Cup campaign before he ends his distinguished career. He was easily Pakistan’s best batsman in the last edition in England three years ago. Then he made 368 runs in 10 matches with match-winning centuries against Zimbabwe (103) in the Super Six tie at The Oval and the semifinal against New Zealand (113 not out) at Old Trafford.Saeed, who also led Pakistan both in Tests and one-dayers, is the proud holder of a batting world record when he smashed that memorable 194 off 146 deliveries with 22 fours and five sixes against old foes India, at Chennai in May 1997.At the age of 34, Saeed still has a lot to offer at the international level.Dogged by huge problems at the top of the order, Saeed is the ideal man to lend his experience – 4052 runs in 55 Tests and 8605 runs in 242 One-day Internationals – to a Pakistan side lacking in confidence after their recent drubbing by Australia.Pakistan’s only Test win over South Africa – their next opponents after Zimbabwe tour – was based on a fine innings of 103 by none other than Saeed Anwar at Durban in 1998.

The series continues on Tuesday 10 December 2002 when the guest will be Gladstone Small, former Warwickshire and England fast bowler, now Director of Community Projects for the Professional Cricketers’ Association

Worcestershire CCC Media Release29-Nov-2002The series continues on Tuesday 10 December 2002 when the guest will be Gladstone Small, former Warwickshire and England fast bowler, now Director of Community Projects for the Professional Cricketers’ Association.A member of the last England touring party to win the Ashes, taking 5-48 at Melbourne in an innings defeat of Australia, Gladstone played a total of 17 Tests.Gladstone is now responsible for the Zone Cricket Challenge, Cricket Max, the Channel 4 Initiative and for creating awareness of cricket, working in parallel with Cricket Boards.The evening starts at 7.30 p.m. in the Cricket Suite of Worcestershire CCC’s New Road Ground; entry is free to Society members: £2.50 to non-members.