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Ashes tickets for next summer’s five-Test series will go on sale to the Australian “Cricket Family” on June 1, but fans not registered with the country’s board will have to wait more than two weeks to secure seats. The plan announced today encourages local fans to get in ahead of England threats such as the Barmy Army by expressing interest on Cricket Australia’s website.With estimates of 40,000 overseas supporters arriving for the series starting in November, local cricket authorities and the players are concerned England followers could dominate the Test venues. The WACA has already capped its membership after receiving numerous requests from supporters based in the United Kingdom. A board spokesman said tickets would be available to the general public and overseas customers from June 19.”In establishing this offer we will be aiming to reward Australian fans who register as members of the Cricket Family while also ensuring as many Australians as possible have access to next summer’s matches,” James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, said. “If you’re an Australian and want to support the team in the forthcoming Test Series, register online now and give yourself the best chance of being there.”Sutherland said hotel bookings in Melbourne for the December 26 Test were “already significant” and he expected the previous MCG Test match crowd attendance record of 90,800 to be broken. “We’ve announced the tour program six months ahead of what we normally would and that’s just [because of] the sheer demand and public interest that’s out there right now,” he said.Pricing details will be released when the tickets go on sale. The first Test starts in Brisbane on November 23.

Shane Warne announces his positive test to a diuretic before Australia’s first match of the 2003 World Cup© Reuters

Shane Warne’s successful return from a one-year drugs ban and England’s 2004 unbeaten streak have earned nominations for the 2005 Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award. The Laureus Awards are dubbed the “Oscars of Sport”, and the cricket representatives will line up alongside a cast including the golfer John Daly, England’s long-distance runner Paula Radcliffe, and the Italian Alessandro Zanardi, who returned to motor racing after losing both legs in a crash.Ian Botham, a Laureus World Sports Academy member, said Warne and England deserved the recognition. “Shane is simply the best legspinner in the world, he is an exceptional talent, a genuine matchwinner,” he said. “England were the only side in Test cricket to be unbeaten for the whole calendar year. That was a remarkable performance.”Warne was banned in February 2003 for taking a diuretic he claimed was given to him by his mother, but immediately made an impact once the suspension ended. Warne passed Muttiah Muralitharan’s world record in India, and finished 2004 with 75 wickets in 13 Tests.England, whose past results were a regular source of jokes for the rest of the cricket world, produced a stunning run of 11 wins in 12 Tests, including eight in a row, and registered series victories over West Indies (twice), New Zealand and South Africa. The winner of the 2005 award, which is voted for by sports journalists, will be announced in Portugal on May 16.

Stephen Fleming is a doubtful starter for the first Test of New Zealand’s home series against Pakistan. The match, which starts at Hamilton on December 19, is still more than two weeks away, but Fleming says he is struggling to regain his fitness after tearing abdominal muscles during the TVS Cup one-day tournament in India.According to a Reuters report, Fleming said: “I was hopeful it would improve with rest and I would not need an injection, but that hasn’t been the case, which is a worry. The tear is very deep and I’m in a race against time not only for the Test, but just to get some cricket under my belt.”Hopefully I can start light exercise at the end of the week and then we all might have a better idea of where I stand. I’d love to play in the first Test but if I’m not pain-free then I can’t.” The injury forced Fleming to miss New Zealand’s last match of the TVS Cup, and the five-match ODI series in Pakistan.

It wasn’t the greatest way to make the VB Series finals, having to rely on how other teams played, but New Zealand’s inclusion is a great reward for an innovative summer campaign.Now it is time for the ‘think tank’ that formulated the game plan that effectively shut down the great Australian bowlers, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, and put the pressure on the Australian batting order, the two Test match openers excepted, to turn up a game plan to end the South African dominance of ODIs against New Zealand.Much has been made of the record between the two sides and South Africa does have a marked dominance, but some would say that should make New Zealand’s odds of success all the higher.However it is looked at it is high time New Zealand began to get things going their way more often.There is also the thought that in the plethora of ODIs between the two sides in recent years New Zealand has rarely been at full strength. If Chris Cairns, Shane Bond and Dion Nash can get into shape for the finals, then New Zealand has every chance of really putting the South Africans to the test.The requirements for success are not much different to what they were before the series started.An opening combination is a must. Nathan Astle is due again and it is a shame that more has not been made of bringing Brendon McCullum through. With him gaining experience and performing reasonably well there has to be plenty of long-term benefit in his being exposed to this sort of pressure.There is no doubt that Lou Vincent offers more run scoring potential down the order.The other aspect has to be the bowling at the death. Resolving this issue must be a key project for the remainder of the summer.Making the finals has offered up to three more matches which, when they are put with the five games to be played against England and more at the Sharjah tournament, provide a chance to get the matter sorted so that whoever are entrusted with the duty can develop more confidence in the role before the World Cup.There has to be plans within plans from here on in.But in the immediate future, the pressure is on the batsmen. In the eight games played to date, Cairns is the best of the New Zealand batsmen with 257 runs while Stephen Fleming has 242, Craig McMillan 202, Chris Harris 200, Astle, in only three games, has 106, while Adam Parore has 107.More centuries are clearly required by the batsmen to get the sort of totals that will win such crucial matches.In the bowling area, the emergence of Bond has been reflected in the fact he has 20 wickets at 4.40 runs per over, 10 wickets more than anyone else in the New Zealand side. Cairns has 10 (4.72) while Harris has eight (4.53), Daniel Vettori seven (4.20) and James Franklin (5.20) and Nash six (4.37) each.There must be a temptation to continue to expose Andre Adams to the top level. He brings the sort of outrageous hitting ability that could prove vital in swinging a game in its latter stages.The feats of the CLEAR Black Caps have captured the imagination of New Zealand cricket fans and the general public in a manner not seen since the 1992 World Cup.Making the final will only increase that interest and the stage is set for another week of late nights while the tides of fortune wax and wane through what has been an outstanding summer of cricket.And in the middle of it all England arrive on Tuesday for their tour.Long may the fine weather last.

South Zone beat Central Zone by three runs in a last-over thriller inthe Vijay Hazare (under-16) Trophy tournament at the KL Saini Stadiumat Jaipur on Tuesday.Replying to South Zone’s total of 198 for 7 in 50 overs, Central wereall out for 195 in the last over of the match. Central Zone lostwickets at regular intervals and were 82 for five. Dixit (29 off 54balls) was involved in a partnership of 34 for the sixth wicket withAfroz Khan (18 off 36 balls). This was followed by a 35 runpartnership off nine overs for the seventh wicket between Dixit and SKUpadhyay (52 not out off 60 balls). A last wicket partnership of 29runs from five overs between SK Upadhyay and Chaudhery (3) proved invain.Earlier South Zone won the toss and elected to bat. They lostthree wickets for 57 before they recovered with the only partnershipof note when Aditya Srikkanth (50 off 80 balls) and Abhinav Kumar (59off 89 balls) added 117 runs for the fourth wicket off 26 overs.With this, Central Zone ended their fixtures with two wins and twolosses from their four games while this was South Zone’s first victoryin three matches.

Celtic have been handed a huge injury boost ahead of their upcoming Premiership meeting with Ross County.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by Sky Sports, Ange Postecoglou confirmed that, after exactly three months spent on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, David Turnbull will finally be available for selection for the visit of County on Saturday afternoon.

Speaking about the condition of the 22-year-old, the Greek-Australian coach said: “Dave Turnbull is available, he has trained the last 10 days.

“He was fantastic for us in the first half of the year and it was disappointing for him that he got a fairly significant injury that has kept him out for a while.

“But he has worked hard in rehab and I know he is itching to get back out there. He has been training really well over the last seven to 10 days.

“I was probably a bit conservative with him, I could have maybe thrown him in last week, but watching him train he is ready to go and I think he will be important for us.

“He’s a quality player, he is a goal threat, he is good on set-pieces and I think he adds something to our team.”

Supporters will be buzzing

As Postecoglou states, considering just how important a part of the Celtic starting XI Turnbull had proven to be for the Hoops in the first half of the season, the news that the attacking midfielder is finally available for selection once again is sure to have left the Parkhead faithful buzzing.

Indeed, over his 18 Premiership appearances in the current campaign, the £5.85m-rated ace has been in the form of his life, scoring five goals, registering four assists and creating seven big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of an enormous 4.1 key passes and taking a whopping 3.7 shots per game.

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These returns have seen the £23.5k-per-week Scotland international average a rather breathtaking SofaScore match rating of 7.87, ranking him as the best player in the top flight of Scottish football.

As such, with just three points separating Celtic and their Old Firm rivals at the top of the Premiership table, it is clear for all to see that the return of a player who is currently ranked as the best in the country is a huge boost for Postecoglou and his side – particularly with a season-defining meeting against Rangers being the Hoops’ next fixture after today’s Ross County clash.

AND in other news: Ange drops behind the scenes Celtic update that will leave supporters devastated

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce is believed to be ready to sue Blackburn manager Steve Kean, after a Youtube clip was released with the Ewood Park head coach slating his predecessor.

The incident was videoed by Blackburn fans during the Lancashire club’s pre-season tour of the Far East, with the clip showing Kean making inflammatory remarks over Allardyce’s integrity, operating methods and ability as a manager.

The Telegraph state that the Upton Park supremo has alerted his lawyers, who will look into the footage and potentially take action against Kean.

The under-fire Scot is set to meet with Rovers’ owners Venkys in Pune in coming days to discuss his future, amid the club’s relegation from the Premier League this term.

Kean has maintained that his job at Blackburn is safe, but this has yet to be confirmed by the club’s Indian owners.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Kashiwa Reysol maintained their slender lead at the head of the J.League after coming from behind to beat Sanfrecce Hiroshima 3-1.Hisato Sato put Sanfrecce ahead after just seven minutes at the Kashiwa Hitachi Stadium on Wednesday, but Brazilian attacker Leandro Domingues had the hosts back on level terms three minutes later.

Kashiwa took the lead eight minutes after half-time thanks to a goal from Hideaki Kitajima, before Masato Kudo iced the game with a third in injury time.

The win keeps Kashiwa one point ahead of Yokohama F.Marinos atop the J.League standings, while Sanfrecce slip to eighth.

Yokohama kept the pressure on the league leaders with a 2-1 victory against relegation-threatened Montedio Yamagata.

Kazuma Watanabe scored in the first minute to give Yokohama the perfect start in front of their home fans, and although Kohei Miyazaki grabbed an equaliser for Montedio shortly after the interval, Kim-Kun Hoan found an injury-time winner to grab all three points for the hosts.

Elsewhere, Gamba Osaka moved to third on the table following their 3-2 win over Vissel Kobe, with Takahiro Futagawa, Takashi Usami and Keun-Ho Lee all getting on the scoresheet for the winners.

Australian Josh Kennedy and Montenegrin Igor Burzanovic both scored as Nagoya Grampus came from a goal down to beat Kashima Antlers 2-1, while Kawasaki Frontale slipped to fifth after going down 2-0 to the Urawa Reds.

Bottom side Avispa Fukuoka grabbed just their second win of the season after a 1-0 triumph over Omiya Ardija, while Vegalta Sendai and Shimizu S-Pulse played out a scoreless draw.

Jubilo Iwata twice came from a goal down to score a 3-2 win away to Cerezo Osaka – Hiroki Yamada scoring the winner on 80 minutes.

It isn’t easy to design an all-time Premier League dream team. Everybody will have their own opinion on who is worthy, who deserves a place and who doesn’t. The first thing to note is that the team is dominated by players from Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. This might rile people a little, but could things really be any other way? These are the teams that have dominated the Premier League since its inception thanks to the quality and character of the players found within them. If you disagree with any of my choices or feel like I’ve made an egregious exclusion, feel free to air your views in the comment section. Below are my choices, but who would make your all time Premier League dream team?

Click on image below to see the Premiership Dream Team

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If you’re interested and want to hear more feel free to follow me on Twitter 

 

 

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There’ll be no end of season party at Elland Road this year, that is, unless Ken Bates decides he’d rather sell up and move on. Leeds’ season has fallen apart over the last few games; we’ve rocketed to the bottom of the form table and confidence has been shattered. The players look as though they’re already sat on the proverbial beach, Neil Warnock has been more than honest about how the majority of them wont even be here next season and our captain has told the fans how disillusioned life at Leeds has become, asking ”How can you say you’re aiming for promotion and then sell your captain?”  in reference to Jonny Howson being sold to Norwich.

Happy days.

This could all come as a shock to some on the outside, those that only ever listen to Ken Bates and his army of puppets. The picture they paint is of a happy Leeds United, with all the fans and players arm in arm singing ring around the rose bush. Unfortunately, when you look a little closer you see that it’s actually just Ken Bates dragging the fans through one, and making them pay for it too. But then again, if you want a Premier League rose bush you’ve got to pay premier league prices.

For those that aren’t aware of the people I refer to as his army of puppets, look no further than former Leeds legend Peter Lorimer, and yes, I did mean former. The reason for this is simple, he’s become an embarrassment to the fans, selling his soul to the devil by reading whatever script Bates happily places in his lap week after week.

This week he decided to tell us how we needed quality over quantity in regards to new players, which makes sense. What doesn’t make sense is selling the quality and then making a statement like that. Quality such as the aforementioned Jonny Howson, who along with Bradley Johnson successfully stopped the usually creative Tottenham midfield from controlling the game against Norwich. Both players deemed surplus by Leeds, but who were never truly replaced. You then look to Max Gradel, the one player that could create a chance from nothing and win a game when all seemed lost, he was also never replaced, though you may say he was practically irreplaceable anyway. At least the new executive boxes are at a quality standard. If you want premiership standard executive boxes…..you get the idea.

Understandably, the fans have had enough. The excuses made by Bates have long worn thin and you can’t help but feel that something really does have to give now. Ken bought himself some breathing space with the appointment of Warnock but the fans are rallying again and a protest is being planned for the game against Leicester, one of the many teams Ken has happily referred to as an example of how spending money doesn’t guarantee success. Leicester are 3 points off the playoffs with a bit of momentum gathering, Leeds are plummeting, and while he may, to an extent, have a point, you could also say that spending no, or little money almost guarantees failure.

It’s now or never for Bates, he’s got a manager who has addressed the flaws and called for big investment in the summer. Let’s hope when he reaches into his pocket next he pulls out his cheque book, rather than his list of excuses.

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